Forage crops are a vital component of sustainable agriculture and livestock production systems. A fundamental food source for ruminant animals, the importance of forage crops extends beyond their immediate nutritional benefits to livestock; they play a crucial role in enhancing soil health, conserving biodiversity, and improving the overall sustainability of farming practices.
Forages are essential for maintaining soil health. They prevent soil erosion by covering the ground. Their deep root systems help improve soil structure, enhance water infiltration, and increase organic matter content. Legume forages like clover and alfalfa even fix nitrogen in the soil, improving fertility and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.
In addition to soil health, forage crops contribute significantly to biodiversity. Diverse forage systems, which include a mix of grasses and legumes, support a wide range of insect, bird, and animal species. Finally, forage crops play a key role in sustainable livestock production. They are a cost-effective and nutritious feed source that can be produced locally, reducing the dependency on imported feed. High-quality forage crops can enhance animal health and productivity, leading to better meat, milk, and wool yields.
Even with all these benefits, forages take careful management to get right. Managing diverse mixtures in a pasture or hay field is different than a blanket approach that can be used in monoculture systems. Even at seeding, management is wildy different with tiny teff seeds (about the size of a grain of sand) to forage soybeans needing different planting preparation and techniques. Add to this harvest, storage, and feeding differences and the knowledge needed to properly use forages can quickly become overwhelming.
Because of this, forage producers need to stay constantly on their game, adapting to conditions and learning how to best use the resources they have available. To help with this, events like the 2024 Forage Field Day on August 6th at the Haskell Ag Lab can help. This field day is a regional event that brings together experts, producers, and industry professionals to provide field tours, panel discussions and presentations on forage-related topics.
Starting at 9:15 and ending at 3:30, this year’s event kicks off with a listening session for an alfalfa revenue insurance program with AgriLogic Consulting and the National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance. The session gives producers and industry members an opportunity to learn about the product and provide input.
For cattle owners, Wisconsin dairy farmer Daniel Olson will speak on growing and using digestible forages in dairy rotations, and Shelby Gruss, Iowa State University assistant professor and Extension Forage Specialist, will talk about optimizing forage availability with cover crop grazing. Sessions on alfalfa pests and disease, silage pile planning, and cover crop variety trials will also be part of the schedule.
To register for this years event, visit go.unl.edu/foragefieldday2024. CCA credits will be available for those interested. If you have questions or for more information, contact myself, Ben Beckman at bbeckman3@unl.edu or 402-254-6821.
-Ben Beckman is a beef systems Extension Educator serving the counties of Antelope, Cedar, Knox, Madison and Pierce. He is based out of the Cedar County Extension office in Hartington. You can reach him by phone: (402) 254-6821 or email: ben.beckman@unl.edu