Pasture and Forage Minute

When cattle are on pasture, both forage and water quality are important for healthy animals. Surface water is particularly prone to quality issues, such as blue-green algae, salinity, mineral concentrations, or nitrate. Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

Despite their name, stable flies can be a significant annoyance and cause economic losses in pastured cattle, not just those confined in feedlots and dairies. With the recent moisture much of Nebraska has received, conditions are favorable for significant stable fly numbers. Samantha Daniel, Nebraska Extension Crops and Water Educator.

Precipitation and temperature play major roles in pasture productivity, and knowing how to adjust grazing to match current conditions is key. Are you shifting your management to meet pasture conditions? Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

Summer annual forages such as sudangrass, sorghum-sudan hybrids and pearl millet planted this spring soon could be ready to graze. There are some grazing guidelines to help avoid potential hazards. Jerry Volesky, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Systems Specialist.

July traditionally means the beginning of the haying season for Sandhills subirrigated meadows. A key point related to the quality of meadow hay is harvest date. Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

Wheat harvest usually pegs the half-way point in the Nebraska crop growing season. As hot days shutdown wheat growth; though, there is still adequate growing season days left for new plantings of forage or cover crops following wheat harvest if soil surface moisture is not a limiting factor. Todd Whitney, Nebraska Extension Forage Agronomist.

Have you noticed tall weeds with umbrella-like white flowers in pastures, ditch banks, and along the roadsides?  It may be poison hemlock, a toxic plant to both people and livestock. Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

By mid-summer, summer annual grasses like foxtail, sandbur, and crabgrass are already up and growing—and they’re starting to cause issues in perennial hay or pasture fields. Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

In Nebraska, there are two species of fly that cause the most economic injury to pasture and rangeland cattle. Selection of an appropriate control method for each will depend on the time of year; the efficacy, cost, and convenience of the treatment. Samantha Daniel, Nebraska Extension Crops and Water Educator.

It's time for the first cutting of alfalfa, and as you're out in the fields, it's a prime opportunity to spot any issues and plan corrective actions. But what should you be looking for?

Is your pasture paying its way? This is a question I have heard lately with regards to changing input costs. Shannon Sand, Nebraska Ag Economics Extension Educator.

Rained-on hay plagues all of us eventually. The 'windrow disease' that often follows presents lingering problems. Jerry Volesky, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Systems Specialist.

Since the first cutting of alfalfa has been completed in much of the state, Nebraska producers may be tempted to believe our troubles with alfalfa weevil are over. Samantha Daniel, Nebraska Extension Crops and Water Educator.

Early Spring alfalfa irrigation may be beneficial; especially when it is the prime irrigation growing season time to build water reserves for summer use. However, over-watering alfalfa can cause plant injury, disease, and possibly weed invasion. Todd Whitney, Nebraska Extension Forage Agronomist.

Yucca plants, which are also called soapweed, can be quite common on rangeland in western and central Nebraska. They are especially noticeable here in June when flowering. In some areas, they can be quite thick and significantly reduce grass production. There are ways, though, to reclaim those grazinglands. Jerry Volesky, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Systems Specialist.

With drought conditions forecast across much of Nebraska this summer, now is the time to make a grazing plan that builds in flexibility. Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

As we approach the first cutting for alfalfa across the state of Nebraska, it is important to continue to monitor your fields for pest insect activity. Samantha Daniel, Nebraska Extension Crops and Water Educator.

While poisonous plants are generally not as problematic in Nebraska compared to other western states, they can exact their toll on livestock enterprises, and many times the losses are unrecognized. Jerry Volesky, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Systems Specialist.

As we work our way through spring, many small grains are maturing fast and nearing harvest windows. Are you ready to make the most out of these forage options? Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

As late spring and summer temperatures begin to heat up and cattle are on pasture, it’s important to make sure there is adequate water for livestock. How much do cattle need and where should it come from? Jerry Volesky, Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Systems Specialist.

Now is the time to plant summer annuals especially due to welcome rains. Summer annuals are typically warm season grasses planted in western Nebraska prior to June 1st to provide grazing or harvested as feed for beef cattle. Todd Whitney, Nebraska Extension Forage Agronomist.

As pastures begin to green up, now is the time to scout pastures for two persistent problems—leafy spurge and nonnative thistles like musk, plumeless, and Canada thistle. Both are Nebraska noxious weeds, and early spring is the best opportunity for control.

Managing pastures that contain both cool- and warm-season grasses takes a bit of strategy, but done right, it can result in productive and healthy pastures across the grazing season. Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Forage Systems Educator.

Smooth bromegrass and other cool-season grass hay fields are growing rapidly with seedheads beginning to appear. When do you typically cut your grass hay? Ideally, cutting your grass hay so the grass nutrient content matches with the nutritional needs of your livestock is best. 

The 2025 rangeland grasshopper risk map from the USDA indicates there may be increased grasshopper activity in the eastern panhandle and southwestern Nebraska. Keeping an eye on fields this spring and summer can help mitigate economic loss from grasshopper feeding. Samantha Daniel, Nebraska Extension Crops and Water Educator.