Jay Chism, agronomy specialist with University of Missouri Extension, says his top five forage tips for 2008 can be summed up with one statement: don’t waste nitrogen fertilizer.

“Nitrogen is expensive; and it is hard to justify the cost per acre, especially if the beef market happens to take a downturn sometime during the year,” said Chism.

Here are Chism’s top five tips.

SOIL TEST,

DON’T GUESS

“If you are not soil testing and following recommendations from a soil testing lab, you really are just guessing,” said Chism.

Sampling and following MU fertility guidelines is one of the best investments forage producers can make. A soil test report will also provide lime requirements for the forages selected. A proper pH will improve the efficiency of nutrients applied to the crop.

“Applying fertilizer without testing and thinking about yield goals is definitely going to waste nitrogen fertilizer,” said Chism.

FROST SEED LEGUMES

Most cattle producers know legumes add forage quality to cool-season grass pastures. Spending a little money on clover seed in the spring is an investment and will pay off according to Chism.

Research shows that total yield, quality and conception rates are all improved if legumes are added to grass pasture. The real bonus is that legumes will fix free nitrogen and make the nutrient available to grass plants that share the same area of the pasture.

“If you are not adding nitrogen fixing legumes to your pasture, you may be wasting nitrogen fertilizer you could be getting for free,” said Chism.

MANAGE YOUR

GRAZING SYSTEM

Research has shown that managed intensive grazing systems can improve forage utilization from 35 percent to as much as 75 percent when compared to open or traditional grazing systems.