At the recent Tri-County Cattle gathering, we had several speakers talking about drought recovery. We are not out of the drought, and it will be a while yet before we are, according to the National Weather Service-Climate Prediction Center we are expected to stay in these La Nina conditions (dry and warm) until the March, April, May time frame. At that time, we will move into a period of expected higher than average rainfall, it cannot come too soon. However, there are many things we can do to get our pastures and hay fields ready for better days.
Dr. Provin gave an extensive overview on soil health and what we can do to improve soil health and increase productivity once the drought is over. Topping the list of most cost-effective practices is soil testing.
Right now, it would be hard to get a probe or sharpshooter in the ground deep enough to pull proper soil test, but if we get enough rain to soften the soil up a little, I would strongly encourage you to go pull some samples. In a 10-to-40-acre field, you will need 10 to 15 subsamples for every composite sample. These need to be collected at a sampling depth of 6” put into a clean bucket mixed up and then bagged.
This will be 1 composite sample. Be sure you label the bag and mark on a field map or at least write down where that sample came from, this is especially important if you are submitting multiple locations or fields.
There are no indications fertilizer will be dropping next growing season, unfortunately most predictions imply we will have more increases in fertilizer prices. This is bad news, but you want to get the most for your investment, this is where the soil test has the potential to save you lots of money.
The most limiting nutrient will dictate yield, regardless of how much of the other nutrients you put out. Many folks want to just apply some nitrogen, but if phosphorus, potash or pH(lime) are the most limiting nutrient, they are not going to be increasing their yield no matter how much N they put out. You must address the most limiting factor or nutrient first. You can no longer afford to put out a certain nutrient or blend just because it is what you have always done, the cost is too great, you need soil test data to base your spending decisions on.
After getting your results if you are low in phosphorus or potash, you should have a talk with your fertilizer provider. If they think the nutrients are cheaper now that they will be in the spring, it is fine to apply those this winter. Research has actually shown that if you apply this fall before your grass is dormant, it will increase next years yields significantly compared to applying in the spring or early summer. This would be due to root health, getting the roots in shape this fall will enable them to produce more top growth earlier next growing season. If your pH is low, then you for sure want to apply a quality lime product this fall and winter.
Dr. Provin mentioned that rooting depth and proliferation are most often the most limiting factor influencing both drought tolerance and nutrient uptake. Poor root depth can be caused by a few things: lack of required nutrients, compaction, and lack of above ground plant material. This year there is for sure going to be a lack of above ground plant material, not a lot we can do about that, but still managing grazing as much as possible to leave some plant growth on top to help promote root development going into dormancy will make a big difference for your grasses recovery next year following the drought. Compaction is a difficult problem to solve, I have never been completely convinced that mechanical aeration programs are worth the cost and effort for the gain in production, but I may have to rethink that. This fall or winter might be a good time to consider running a quality aerator over your hay ground.
These are just a few of the highlights covered at the Tri-County clinic, we appreciate everyone that came and want to thank our great sponsors of the event. They included: Farley Farm Supply, Ferti-Tex AgriService, SureGrow Ag Products, El Dorado Ag Products, Bank of Houston (Dublin Division), Corteva AgriScience, Crop Risk Insurance Agency, Cooper Country Store, Heartland Crop Insurance, Stay-Tuff Fencing and MP Brangus for hosting the event.