Lean to Green: Pasture and Sprayfield Renovation

By: Lynn Stillwell Livestock Agent Sampson
Adapted From:C.D. Teutsch, Extension Specialist, Forage/Livestock, Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center; and J.H. Fike, Assistant Professor, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech

If you have noticed in recent years that your previously productive hayfields and pastures had been overtaken with weeds or you are just not getting the productiveness you want, it may be time to consider renovating your pasture or sprayfield. Pasture renovation is a series of management practices that will improve the health, productivity, and composition of your pasture or hayfield on a long-term basis.
Before beginning renovation you must first determine why your previous stand did not persist. Obtain a soil sample from the field or pasture, keep in mind that one sample should represent no more than 25 Acres. Major problem areas (ex. Patches of no grass, severely stunted grass) should be sampled separately to determine a more specific problem.
Renovation does not always mean you must reseed your fields. Sometimes allowing a field to go fallow (resting period), liming, controlling weeds, and improving management can improve weak hay fields or pastures. However, large bare areas (spaces of >6”) should be reseeded.
Poor fertility, low pH, and overgrazing are just a few of the reasons why your pasture may be overridden with weeds. Weeds are opportunistic intruders and it is essential that you take care of weed problems before reseeding or at the beginning of renovation. Weeds will compete with your Bermuda or any other grasses you are trying to grow. Herbicides will work for most broadleaf species, however for more troublesome grass weeds such as Goosegrass or nutsedge, pre-emergents may be necessary for control.
Some weeds (such as Broomsedge) can simply be controlled by adding lime to your fields and pastures. Raising the pH of the soil is critical to improving your stand. The pH of your soil is determined by completing a soil test. Hold off on pumping until your reseeded (or sprigged) grass has begun growing as pumping too early will encourage any other grasses or weeds to grow potentially shading out your newly seeded grasses.
Your pasture or hayfield wont be renovated over night. It is a process that requires attention to detail and patience. Proper management after renovation should help maintain your fields for future use.

High On the Hog

By Lynn Stillwell
Adapted from The Southeast Farm Press

Hog and pork prices are expected to rise to new record highs in the coming months due to higher demand, rapidly increasing feed cost, and smaller herds across the state and Nation. Corn prices have increased as much as 43% in 2010 and soybean prices have increased as much as 27%. Increased feed costs are expected to drive up live weight cost of hog and pork prices.

Hog exports are supposed to increase by as much as 10% in 2011 while the amount of hogs in the country just last year were reduced by 7%. North Carolina alone had a reduction of 90,000 head. Hog prices are only expected to increase by 14% by May of this year.

Don’t be fooled however, just because prices are going up does not mean that the farmers who took the time to grow the hog are making anymore than they were before. Most farrow to finish operations only saw a profit of $12 per head in 2010 and the industry is looking at a $11 per head loss in the first quarter of 2011 anything more farmers will be looking to sell as high feed costs are driving up the break-even point that some farms just can’t reach. We as consumers of pork products are becoming more and more conscious of what we are spending, we need to remember to support our farmers that grow the food for us and the world.

Extension Works to Get Farmers On the Road Again

North Carolina ranks number two in Hog and Turkey production with around 10 million hogs and 35 million turkeys produced each year. The State also ranks number 5 in broiler production with around 760 million birds. While these animals provide a significant amount of low cost, safe food for us to eat, they also generate a significant amount of waste that must be dealt with by the farmers who raise them. Waste must be regularly removed or cleaned out according to the farmer’s contract and nutrient management plan. This waste must be land applied as fertilizer in accordance with certain laws and management practices.

Transporting tons and thousands of gallons of waste has proved to be not only costly for the farm in terms of dollars spent trying to stay within the regulations set forth by the NC Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR), but also in fines given out by the highway patrol. In years past farmers hauling animal waste from farm to field were continually stopped by Law Enforcement Officers and given heavy fines sometimes amounting to over $1500.00 for their vehicles being overweight.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension worked closely with Elected officials and NC Farm Bureau members throughout the State to get the law changed so that farmers would not accrue these hefty fines. As of December 1, 2010 House Bill 1729 was changed to give exemptions to farmers hauling animal waste from the farm to the field. As long as farmers abide by other regulations for hauling animal waste they should no longer have to worry about being fined for overweight vehicles. So farmers don’t fear filling up those trucks and getting on the road again because those fines should not be brought against you anymore.