WHEN THE FIRST rains of fall arrive and pastures turn green again, WSU Extension Small Acreage Program Coordinator Eric Lambert reminds area property owners that it’s easy to forget that grass is undergoing a critical re-growth stage.
For horse lovers in Clark County, obtaining a property with a decent sized pasture isn’t usually a problem – but maintaining that pasture might not be so simple.
“When the first rains of fall arrive and pastures turn green again, it’s easy to forget that grass is undergoing a critical re-growth stage,” says Eric Lambert, program coordinator for the Small Acreage Program at Washington State University’s Clark County Extension. “For this reason, we recommend using the ‘three-inch rule’ … in short, you leave the first three inches of grass, do not mow or graze the grass below three inches of stubble.”
Using the three-inch rule, Lambert says, will help pastures regenerate and promote sustainable grazing practices.
“Following the three-inch rule, especially important in the fall, allows better root regeneration as the grass sends out new tillers or growing points,” Lambert says. “These two functions support each other since roots take up water and nutrients from the soil to nourish new tillers, which will feed roots in the next growing season.”
Having a strong root system, Lambert adds, gives your pasture grass a better chance of “out-competing weeds.”
For local pasture owners interested in building healthier, more vibrant pastures and promoting sustainable grazing practices, the WSU Extension’s Small Acreage Program holds workshops throughout the year. Most recently, in late September, the program brought pasture expert Gene Pirelli of the Oregon State University’s Extension program, to Clark County to discuss pasture establishment and renovation.
“We learned about how to improve our pastures through grazing practices, over-seeding, no-till direct seeding and crop rotation,” Lambert wrote in a follow-up email to the workshop participants. “We also got some hands-on time looking at some different grass and legume varieties that are commonly used for pastures.”
Some key takeaways from the pasture establishment and renovation class included the following recommendations from Pirelli:
1. Animal farmers are grass farmers. Pirelli told participants that if they love their animals, they should also love their grass by not letting the animals out too early on wet soil and by bringing the animals in before they can overgraze on the pasture grasses.
2. Renovating a pasture can be costly, Pirelli says, so pasture owners should try to practice good pasture management tactics first. Completely renovating a pasture can cost $550 per acre, if you have your own equipment, and $1,000 or more per acre without equipment. “So it’s really worthwhile to manage (the pasture) well,” Lambert says.
3. There are two cardinal rules for pasture and grazing management, Pirelli told the class: First, remember the three-inch rule and know that the first three inches of grass belong to the plant. Second, Pirelli says, “keep heavy animals off saturated pastures.”
4. The fall months are the most critical time for pasture management. Why? Because the grass is putting out roots and shoots, Lambert says, adding that people should “seed before the second week of October.”
5. When it is time to reseed (that would be the second week of October, Pirelli and Lambert say), make sure you have some sort of animal to “hoof it in,” or a roller to come through and pack down the seeds. Pirelli told class participants that sheep work best for “hoofing” the seeds into the soil.
“Fall also offers the opportunity to overseed overgrazed pastures,” Lambert says. “Grass germination requires good seed-soil contact, which requires a roller to press the seed gently into the soil, no more than one-quarter of an inch. Overseeding by the second week in October usually works best and the area treated should not be grazed in the winter or spring. Grass can take a year to fully establish.”
Interested in learning more about pasture management and restoration tactics? The Small Acreage Program at WSU Clark County Extension, in conjunction with the Clark County Environmental Services’ Clean Water Program, offers a host of workshops and resources to help landowners manage their small-acreage pastures. The program also has hay and soil probes they lend to pasture managers, and soils test kits for landowners who want to determine their pasture’s pH levels.
“Testing soil provides the best way to determine nutrient requirements,” Lambert says. “Commonly, our local soils exhibit low pH levels and fall presents a good time to apply lime. Conversely, nitrogen added in the fall can interrupt the plant’s dormant stage, make it more susceptible to frost damage and cause runoff pollution in waterways.”
Lambert says the following resources are also useful for landowners who want to learn more about sustainable pasture management techniques:
Pasture Management: Understanding plant and root growth in the fall — www.ampacseed.com/pdfs/FallPastureManagement.pdf
Pasture and hayland renovation for western Washington and Oregon — http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1870/eb1870.pdf
Fertilizer Guide: Pastures in western Washington and Oregon — http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/20636/fg63-e.pdf
Early springforage production for western Oregon pastures — http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/20361/em8852-e.pdf
For more information about the Small Acreage Program and its various workshops and resources, visit http://ext100.wsu.edu/clark/naturalresources/smallacreageprogram/. To contact Lambert, call (360) 397-6060, ext. 5729, or email him at eric.lambert@wsu.edu.
