Tall fescue, meadow fescue and festulolium have potential value as forages for grazing operations in the northern USA. Meadow fescue is the most cold tolerant of these grasses, with excellent forage quality and palatability, and relatively high drought tolerance. Tall fescue has the highest yield potential, good palatability for soft-leaf varieties and excellent heat and [...more]

Do orchardgrass, fescue or legume/grass combinations produce more meat on growing, pastured beef animals? Do beef steers, beef heifers or dairy steers show the most gain on pastures? Researchers in the departments of Animal Sciences and Agronomy at UW-Madison recently finished a three-year study to answer these questions. [...more]

Grass Clippings features grazing research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. In this issue: Orchardgrass, tall fescue, and meadow fescue response to nitrogen rate Meadow fescue in the Driftless Region, part two Influence of fertility on pasture species diversity, yield and quality, part two From the files of yesteryear: Making reed canarygrass seed more available in Wisconsin Read this [...more]

Grass Clippings is a newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The April issue features: Pure live seed Meadow fescue Different dairy farm systems yield similar satisfaction Fertility and pastures Wisconsin’s beef industry Custom heifers on pasture Read this newsletter (pdf file) [...more]

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The August issue features: Invasive weeds on the move in Wisconsin: Hill mustard and perennial pepperweed Stockpiling pastures Cheese from the pasture strikes a chord Upcoming events: Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers available at three sites Read this newsletter (pdf [...more]

This report describes managed grazing projects funded by the Wisconsin Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative from 2002-2003. Seventeen education projects supported a variety of networking activities, as well as programs for beginning and transitioning farmers. Five research projects looked at ground and surface water quality, nitrogen management strategies, late season grass growth, soil compaction, and outwintering [...more]

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The May issue features: Interseeding legumes vs. applying nitrogen fertilizer Performance of birdsfoot trefoil in northern Wisconsin How much grass seed do we need? Soil quality and the grass farm, part 3 Upcoming events Read this newsletter (pdf file) [...more]

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The February issue features: Persistence of grazed red clover varieties Carbon crediting for agricultural soil management practices Upcoming events Soil quality and the grass farm, part Issues and opportunities for the Wisconsin grazing community Read this newsletter (pdf file) [...more]

Is kura clover a good legume choice in rotationally grazed pastures? A study conducted at the UW Lancaster Agricultural Research Station says yes, with excellent beef production on kura clover/grass pastures. Kura's persistence and leafy growth led to higher Holstein steer growth rates on kura/grass pastures than red clover/grass pastures. [...more]

Dairy farmers can reduce their purchased inputs without cutting into their profits. An ongoing twelve-year study of two forage rotations similar to those found on Wisconsin dairy farms compared a diversified, low-input system with a less diverse rotation requiring high levels of commercial inputs. While the two systems returned similar profits, the low-input system incurred [...more]