Pasture Cover

This Pasture Cover is designed to be used as a multi-use blend. High percentages of grasses along with legumes gives producers the option to use for pasture grazing or haying. Some species in the mix will be better designed for grazing than haying because of an over tonnage amount. However, the plant species selected are designed for quality and longevity.

If you utilize high density/ long recovery grazing practices, there are species in this blend that will thrive in that environment. Legumes such as Cicer Milkvetch, Sanfoin, Falcata Alfalfa as well as full recovery on Tall Fescue and Orchard Grass will result in maximum tonnage.

We suggest this blend should be established as any other hay or pasture blend would traditionally be. Utilizing a companion crop in the first year of production has had positive effects to helping:

• Close seeds rows to compete with weeds

• Provide an income source in year one

• Providing shelter to the young perennial species that are at high risk of being damaged early on in their life.

Producers in the past have had success with seeding mixes like this as early as the spring allows. Direct seeding shallow tends to be a very common practices with lots of success.

This blend has been developed to work in a multitude of grazing management situations. Perennial legumes such as alfalfas and clovers have bloat risk when grazing in high amounts in immature states. More intense management systems allow producers to monitor the day-to-day consumption of their cattle and utilize pastures with higher percentages of alfalfas and clovers to control bloat risks.

Lower management programs will be able to need a lower percentage of Alfalfas and clovers to allow them to use pastures at any time of the year.

This blend has been developed to use non-bloating legumes at a much higher percentage than the alfalfas and clovers.

• Birdsfoot Trefoil

• Cicer MilkVetch

• Sainfoin

These three legumes have next to no risk of grazing at any maturity. Notably, these legumes in the blend do not eliminate bloat risk; they reduce it. (alfalfa & clovers are still present in the blend)

The balance of legumes with a high % of grasses ensures quality and usability for any operation.

After the year of establishment there is a great chance that producers will be able to utilize the crop as a hay or grazing crop. Allowing perennial forages to reach a higher rate of maturity prior to harvesting can help with root establishment in case dry conditions follow after the initial harvest.

Short duration- long recovery grazing is highly suggested which will allow the plants to reach maturity levels and seed themselves out, which will in turn add to the seed bank helping with the thickness of the stand.

The high percentage of grasses and legumes such as Cicer Milkvetch set this blend up great to work into a grazing system where stockpiled forages can be utilized. Depending on the time of year when the crop is grazed, leaving many frost-free days for quality/ quantity to develop will be crucial.

Once consecutive freezing events take place the quality of the forages will be locked into the plants. High leaf to stem ratio grasses and legumes such as Cicer milk vetch will hold quality for a long time after hard freezing events. Locking quality in prior to a frost will reduce the amounts of supplementation needed when grazing late or early in the growing season.