Grazing Bites

 by Victor Shelton,

Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

 August always seems to show up too soon and races by even faster. For me, Aug. 1 feels like the unofficial countdown to the first frosty morning. Depending on your location in Indiana, that gives us roughly 60 to 75 days to prepare. There’s a lot to get done in a short amount of time.

Always thinking one step ahead, my first priority is staging forages, something that really needs to be done all season. Know where your forage is, what quality it is and how much you have. Start identifying the fields you’ll stockpile for fall and winter grazing.

These fields should change from year to year, just like your first spring-grazed paddock. Ideally, stockpiling begins when the forage is still in a vegetative stage. Fields that haven’t been grazed much or at all this year can be considered, but expect a hit in quality, productivity and efficiency. Still, grazing it is typically better than baling it, especially when it won’t make good hay. Let the cows take what they want and trample the rest – those nutrients stay put instead of being hauled off.

If you’re fortunate enough to have enough moisture in late July or early August, and if nutrients are available through cycling or fertilizer, or better yet, legumes, then stockpiling may be as easy as closing the gate.

Some light clipping may be helpful to even out the stand, but only if there’s a good reason. A light application of nitrogen can also help, provided there’s enough moisture. Personally, I prefer relying on legumes for nitrogen. Aim for at least 30 percent legumes by dry matter, which typically means the stand needs to visually appear to be 50–60 percent legumes. Legumes have high moisture content, so looks can be deceiving.

A quick pasture hand clipping and dry-weight separation of grasses, legumes and forbs gives a good idea of your true legume percentage. In one of our examples (using a red clipping frame), the visual estimate may have been higher, but dry matter testing showed only 22 percent legumes – mostly white clover.

Where legumes are lacking, applying between 30 and 60 pounds of nitrogen can boost stockpile yield and quality, though it may also increase competition with existing legumes.

Another consideration is whether to plant annuals for fall grazing. Annuals seeded after corn or soybeans can improve soil health and provide quality, late-season forage. Every day spent grazing annuals, crop residue, or a mix of both in early fall means more rest for your perennial pastures, leading to better regrowth and fewer days feeding hay.

Moisture is key for September growth – as ridiculous as that sounds for some areas right now. Minimize tillage to conserve soil moisture and plant early, with or without moisture. It is a good time to take advantage of moisture which is often short this time of year.

My go-to mix includes spring oats, turnips or radishes, and cereal rye. The oats and brassicas come on quickly and produce high-quality forage with moisture. Rye stays dormant until spring and then provides early grazing – or a solid cover for no-till planting.

Due to delayed and prevented planting in some areas this year, some fields won’t be harvested early enough to use for annuals. However, those areas that were not planted could be excellent locations for annuals to not only provide forage but also improve and protect the soil in the fields.

You may also find grazing opportunities in cropland seeded to annuals following the wet spring. If these are prevented planting acres, always consult with your crop insurance agent before grazing or harvesting. Grazing before Nov. 1 can significantly reduce crop insurance payments. Still, many annuals can offer decent forage value even after Nov. 1, depending on planting time and species.

It’s never too early to estimate your remaining grazing days and stored feed inventory. I’d rather find out now that I’m short on forage than be surprised mid-winter.

Some producers think they need to bale everything, but ask yourself first: Can it be grazed instead? Many bales are made only to be fed right back to livestock in the same location they were cut. That’s a lot of equipment time and cost for something the animals could have harvested themselves.

And if you’re baling hay and feeding hay at the same time, you’re working against yourself. Every piece of machinery that moves costs money. Remember: cows, sheep, goats, and horses all come with four-wheel drive. They harvest forage and spread manure all at once; we should let them do as much of the work as possible.

As hay season winds down, there’s a temptation to bale whatever is out there – no matter how thin the stand. But these low-yield cuttings often aren’t worth the cost. The fixed costs of mowing, raking, and baling don’t change, so your cost per bale skyrockets when yield is low.

Before you cut that sparse field, run the numbers. Use local custom rates if you don’t own the equipment.  Sometimes it’s cheaper – and better – to graze it or stockpile it instead. That forage is essentially standing hay, and it’s a lot more efficient to harvest it with livestock than with machinery.

Whether you’re planning for fall grazing, stockpiling, or squeezing in one last hay cutting, now is the time to think ahead. The choices you make in August set the stage for how well your livestock and your pastures perform through the fall and winter.

Let your animals do the work, make use of every grazing opportunity, and don’t wait until the snow flies to count your bales. It’s not about maximizing a single grazing event but optimizing the entire grazing season. Observe, plan ahead and keep on grazing.

Reminders & Opportunities 

Greener Pasture Field Day – Aug. 28, 2025 – 6 p.m. RSVP by Aug. 18 by calling 812-482-1171 Ext 3. $10 per person and a meal will be provided. Presentations will include warm season grasses, biochar and gypsum, paddock systems, alternative legumes and nitrogen and watering systems.   

Summer Annual Forage & Soil Health Field Day – Aug. 15, 2-6 p.m. EDT at Fischer Farms, 5142 S Kyana Road, Birdseye, Ind. – RSVP for this FREE event, visit www.bit.ly/SummerForage or www.indianafarming.org 

For a Free Sample Copy of The Stockman Grass Farmer, call 1-800-748-9808 or visit www.stockmangrassfarmer.com – You’ll find articles from me there also – tell them Victor sent you.

Please send comments or questions to grazingbites@gmail.com.