Out with the Old, In with the New
New forage varieties are helping fill gaps in the grazing season by allowing beef cattle to graze for longer each year, increasing forage quality in previously poor growing areas and providing high-quality winter feed.
Since pasture, hay and silage of perennial and annual forage crops provide most of the annual feed for beef cattle, producers need access to high-yielding, high-quality, and well-adapted varieties to improve the economics of production. However, knowing which forage variety will meet the needs of each unique operation and feeding scenario can be difficult. It may appear easier to stick with the forage variety you know and have been seeding for years, but are you missing out on positive benefits that can come from new forage varieties?
What Are Potential Benefits of New Forage Varieties?
Higher yield
New varieties are often developed to produce more, higher quality forage when compared to traditional varieties.
The amount of forage produced directly determines the animal production per acre. For example, increasing forage production on grazing land or pastures means higher stocking rates can be applied, and animal performance may also improve. Similarly, increasing yields on hay land or annual crops seeded for forage production increases the forage dry matter (DM) harvested and stored, and reduces the cost per unit of production. This equates to reduced winter feed costs per cow.
Improved quality
Quantity is often thought of when it comes to feeding beef cattle, but it is quality that truly matters. Forage quality is defined by the nutritive value of the forage or, in other words, the amount of available energy, protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins that forage provides when consumed by livestock. This concentration of nutrients directly impacts the performance (health and growth) of individual animals.
Quality Over Quantity
The concentration of nutrients (quality) in a forage directly impacts the performance (health and growth) of individual animals.
The various components of a plant, such as fibre, protein and carbohydrates, will impact forage quality differently. As an example, lignin, which is a structural component of plant cell walls, limits microbial digestion in the rumen, thus negatively impacting the digestibility of that forage. Increased concentrations of lignin in the growing forage crop will increase the percentage of indigestible forage DM during grazing or at harvest. These lower quality forages (higher fiber, lower digestibility) can reduce overall forage intake, which compromises animal performance. Selecting a low-lignin (higher quality) forage variety to include in your rotation can help to reduce this issue.
Enhanced palatability
The palatability of a forage is the combination of plant features or conditions that encourage livestock to consume that plant. Factors impacting this include texture, aroma, leaf percentage and sugar content. Essentially higher palatability means that animals like to eat that forage.
In extensive production systems, forage intake provides the energy needed for optimal cattle health and production (e.g., growth, milk production, reproduction). This means palatability becomes extremely important as the willingness of an animal to eat a forage will directly impact that animal’s performance – the more palatable the plant, the more the animal will consume.
One way that new varieties offer increased palatability is through increased leaf-to-stem ratio. The leaves are much more palatable and higher quality, compared to the plant stem. Thus, increasing the number of leaves per plant encourages higher levels of intake.
Palatability becomes extremely important as the willingness of an animal to eat a forage will directly impact that animal’s performance – the more palatable the plant, the more the animal will consume.
Reduced fertilizer costs
The goal of fertilizing forage crops is to decrease the per-unit cost of production. However, higher yields do not necessarily translate into lower costs or increased profits. Only when the value of the additional forage produced is greater than the cost of application does it reduce the per-unit cost of production and increase margins. Therefore, the profitability of fertilizing forage crops is highly variable and depends on the cost of the fertilizer, hay prices and regional soil and weather conditions.
Selecting the right forage variety can help reduce the need for fertilizer through development of varieties with more efficient fixing of nitrogen, increased biomass production per unit of nitrogen or increased drought tolerance.
Better disease or pest resistance
Disease and insects can have significant negative impacts on yield, quality, utilization by livestock and longevity of a forage stand. Minimizing these losses is vital to maintaining or increasing productivity.
There are some varieties of legumes and grasses that have been developed to be resistant to forage insects and diseases. Choosing these varieties can help to reduce the amount of pest treatment used in the forage crop.
Improved adaptation to regional conditions
Many regions of Canada experience unpredictable weather, including drought, severe flooding and harsh winters. In addition, some regions may have acidic soils, poor drainage or extreme weed competition. These conditions can lead to reduced forage yields, decreased quality and poor stand persistence, all of which limit the forage available for consumption by livestock.
Choosing a forage that is adapted to the conditions of the seeding site may be more effective than adapting the site to fit an appealing forage. Some new forage varieties offer an advantage in this regard. For example, heat-resistant varieties can extend the grazing season during the summer months. Similarly, varieties with increased resistance to drought stress are critical in maintaining grazing quality during dry periods.
How Do I Select New Forage Varieties
Key factors to consider when choosing a forage variety include:
- Regional climate conditions (e.g., flooding, rainfall, growing season length)
- Intended use of the forage (e.g., harvested feed, grazing)
- Soil conditions (e.g., nutrient content, pH)
- Grazing management (e.g., rotational grazing, extended grazing)
- Cattle requirements (i.e., calves versus mature cows)
Consider reaching out to local extension experts or agronomists in your region for insights into forage varieties adapted to your region.
It is also worth consulting with neighbours about what they are doing and what has worked on their operations.
Online tools, such as Forage U-Pick, can help farmers and ranchers from British Columbia to the Maritimes choose forages best suited to their fields, calculate seeding rates and manage forage weeds.
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