Rainfall signals good start for winter pasture planting

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

October 17, 2002 -- With fall-like temperatures and some rainfall, many producers can now think about winter pasture and depending upon the technique the producer will use, now is the time to plant.

For producers who have prepared seed beds or have disced lightly, Dr. Gerald Evers a forage researcher at Texas A&M Researcher Center in Overton, said, "They should be planting now."

If a producer is just going to throw seed on the ground, instead of preparing a seed bed, then they can wait until cooler weather which would eliminate grass competition, Evers added.

John McCollum, a Cookville cattle producer, began planting winter pasture on Oct. 2.

"With forecasted rain, we began planting," McCollum said on Oct. 11 after receiving a little over two inches of rain. "I expect it (the grass) to be shoveling out of there on Monday (Oct. 14)."

McCollum planted a total of 35 acres.

"I planted a mixture of TAM 90 and wheat on some acres and then just TAM 90 on some more acres," McCollum said. "I probably plant another 10 acres of TAM 90."

The 10 acres will be seeded, which according to McCollum cost him around $7 to $8 an acre to plant seed, and when McCollum needs more grass, he said, "We will come in and fertilize."

"Winter pasture is very expensive, so use it wisely," Evers advised. "We suggest using a mixture of ryegrass with a small grain such as rye or wheat."

The mixture will give the producer an early grazing period of rye or wheat because it will come up in the fall or winter. Ryegrass will not come up until the spring, Evers said.

"A general guideline is if you just plant ryegrass, you don't have enough forage until February," Evers explained.

To get the most out of winter pasture, Evers stated that producers should run stockers, stocker calves, or cow/calves.

"Cows with fall calves should be put out on winter pasture for two hours every day or four hours every other day," the researcher said. "Dry cows don't need as much protein as pairs, so a good protein hay (7-8 percent) will be sufficient." If cattle are fed a low-quality hay, then a protein supplement will need to be given, Evers added.