Grazing winter annuals such rye, winter wheat or triticale commonly begins in April. All three of these forages can be very high in quality and reduce the need for feeding expensive hay while allowing additional time for spring growth of our perennial summer pastures.
Timing grazing should depend plant growth, not a specific date. Begin grazing when the plants are about 5 to 6 inches tall and manage to keep the maximum height at 8 to 10 inches. A good starting point is about 0.5 cow or 1 stocker calf per acre in early spring and increasing from there.
Rotational grazing with higher stocking densities can assist with keeping the plant maturity more uniform and reduce selective grazing. Look ahead one or two pastures and move based on how the plants are recovering in those pastures. These forages grow and recover from grazing fast.
The most common mistake when grazing spring small cereals is letting the grass get ahead of the cattle. It is important to increase stocking density as the spring progresses to ensure grazing can keep up with the rapid forage growth. This can be achieved by either adding more cattle or reducing the number of acres being grazed.
Like most cool-season grasses in early spring, small cereal forages are also high in potassium. This means there is a need to provide supplemental magnesium as potassium interferes with magnesium availability to the animal. A free choice mineral with a targeted 4 ounces per day intake should contain at least 10% magnesium to prevent grass tetany in lactating cows and 5% magnesium to increase gains in stocker calves.
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In a typical year cows could graze a month or a bit longer on cover crops, says Patrick Wall, Iowa State University Extension beef specialist. Cereal rye remains the cover crop of choice for most producers.