Local Interest
Keys for Corn Stalk Grazing
By Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator
Nebraska has 10.5 million corn acres and 1.5 million beef cows - more than enough acres of corn residue for grazing beef cows through the winter.
Scouting fields before grazing is important to determine the amount of corn present and to look for spilled corn that could cause grain overload, which could result in cattle bloat or death. If there are more than 8-10 bushels of corn on the ground per acre as ears of corn, a grazing strategy to control corn intake will need to be used to minimize grain overload risk. When there is a minimum of ears of corn on the ground, the number of cattle to be grazed and the length of time for grazing should be determined based on corn bushel yield per acre and the average weight of cattle. The UNL Corn Stalk Grazing Calculator is an Excel® spreadsheet that can be used to calculate this. A quick way to estimate grazing days per acre available for a 1200-pound non-lactating cow is to take the corn bushel yield and divide by 3.5. For example, 180-bushel yield / 3.5 = 51 grazing days per acre.
Cattle tend to select for downed corn first and then seek out husk and leaves. The quality of grazing starts high at approximately 70 percent total digestible nutrients (TDN) and then decreases to a low of 45 percent TDN at the end of the grazing period. The rate of quality decline is dependent on stocking rate and environmental factors such as moisture and field conditions. Mature non-lactating, spring calving cows in a body condition score 5 or better will not need protein supplement, but will need salt, mineral, and vitamins when grazed at Nebraska Extension recommended stocking rates.
First-calf heifers within 90 days of calving will need protein and energy supplementation to meet nutrient requirements. Feeding 3.5 lbs. per head per day of dried distillers grains will meet this need. Fall-calving cows will also need additional protein and energy to meet nutrient requirements. Feeding 5 lbs. per head per day of dried distillers grains would supply this need. Grazing weaned calves with a targeted gain of one pound per day will need to be fed an energy and protein supplement. Research has demonstrated that dried distillers grains fed at 2 lbs. per head per day to calves will usually meet this targeted level of gain. Deep snow and ice can severely limit cattle's ability to graze corn residue. Have a backup plan and other feed resources available to meet cattle feed needs when this occurs. Corn residue can be an excellent, economical resource for late fall and winter grazing in many parts of the state.
nowing the keys for grazing can help producers effectively utilize it. The Nebraska Extension Circular Grazing Crop Residues with Beef Cattle provides additional information for grazing corn residue.
Fall is a good time to use herbicides to control cheatgrass on pastures
By Mitch Stephenson, UNL Range Management Specialist, and Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Livestock Educator
Nebraska’s grasslands cover approximately 50 percent of the state’s land area. Grasslands are vital as a livestock forage base, but also provide other ecosystem services like wildlife habitat, water infiltration, and carbon cycling. Nebraska’s grasslands have multiple challenges, including woody plant encroachment, cropland conversion, and the invasion of annual invasive grasses, primarily cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), in the western part of the state.
Cheatgrass is an invasive winter annual grass that typically germinates in the fall when adequate precipitation is present. However, cheatgrass is highly flexible in its germination date and can also germinate early in the spring, even with minimal precipitation. As a result of early germination and prolific seed production, cheatgrass is highly competitive and often out-competes native vegetation for limited resources. Cheatgrass presence on rangelands is most prevalent in the Panhandle, with Banner, Scotts Bluff, and Dawes counties having the highest percentage cover of annual forbs and grasses
Cheatgrass invasion into grazing lands is challenging because of its short growth window. Early in the growing season, nutritive value of cheatgrass often exceeds native perennial grass species, and cattle will graze and consume cheatgrass along with other cool-season native species growing at that time. However, later in the growing season, after cheatgrass has set seed, cattle will avoid consuming it. Recent research in the Panhandle has shown that areas where cheatgrass was removed with herbicide had crude protein levels 21 to 62 percent higher than untreated areas in mid-July, highlighting the negative influence of cheatgrass on cattle forage nutritive value in the mid-summer.
Herbicide options for rangelands include application of imazapic (tradename: Plateau), indaziflam (tradename: Rejuvra), or a combination of both herbicides. The combination of both herbicides has generally provided better control over longer periods than herbicides applied alone. For example, an analysis of 5 locations in the Nebraska Panhandle where a combination of Rejuvra (5 oz) and Plateau (4 oz) were applied to rangelands in the fall of 2022 showed greater than 98 percent control of cheatgrass three years after the herbicides were applied. In this study, native perennial grass biomass averaged 2 to 3 times greater in areas where cheatgrass had been removed compared to annual grass invaded sites.
When considering using herbicide to manage annual invasive grasses, there are several things to evaluate. First, determining the location of the treatment that will lead to the most opportunities for native perennial grasses to succeed. This includes actively monitoring pastures and selecting those that have a strong (several plants per square meter) presence of perennial grasses and forbs. Second, herbicide is typically applied in the fall and because germination of cheatgrass may have already occurred depending on the amount of precipitation, the combination of Rejuvra and Plateau is recommended to provide better cheatgrass control. Lastly, developing a grazing plan following herbicide will provide better opportunities for success. Adaptively managing grazing following herbicide application on rangelands by setting appropriate stocking rates and allowing growing season recovery based on variable growing season precipitation can be used to enhance desirable rangeland plants the opportunity to build resistance to re-invasion.
Nebraska Extension early childhood educator passionate about building strong families
By Chabella Guzman, PREEC Communications
Many Nebraska Extension educators are called to their positions. Jackie Guzman is no exception. She is the Nebraska Extension early childhood educator and lead educator in the Nebraska Extension Engagement Zone 1, located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff.
“It is a purpose, a calling for me. This is where we need to start with parents and children to build a solid foundation, where the children are ready to learn and more apt to graduate,” she said.
Among the programs Guzman provides to professionals is the CHIME (Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators) program. It is an eight-week program that focuses on the person working with young children, providing them with the skills to work effectively with children by first helping themselves through mindfulness.
Guzman has developed and implemented programs for non-traditional audiences while incorporating traditional 4-H curriculum and methodologies for youth. One such program is embryology, which includes Extension 4-H educators. “I provide incubators, and the farmers provide eggs. There is a curriculum with activities for elementary school children and early childhood/preschool programs,” she said.
