Winter Annual Field Day Scheduled

Winter annuals are an important part of Arkansas forage production. They decrease dependence on stored forages such as hay and silage and decrease purchased feed expense by providing green grass for grazing in winter months. When inter- seeded into dormant warm- season grass pastures, cool- season annuals produce forage on acreage that would be nonproductive in the winter months. Wheat pastures have the potential to be used for both grazing and grain production if managed properly.

Cool- season annual pastures are typically planted in the fall as early as local conditions allow. Planting date has a large impact on fall forage production. In clean-tilled or no-tilled fields, planting for fall pasture is recommended to be done by the first week of September. Calves may be stocked at 1 to 1.5 calves per acre by the first of November in well-managed small grain fields. When inter-seeded into a warm-season grass sod, they must be planted later to decrease competition between warm-season grasses and cool- season annual seedlings. Fall growth of inter-seeded cool-season annuals is thus less than in dedicated crop fields, but moderate levels of grazing may be attained at reduced stocking rates compared with crop fields. Often calves may be placed on interseeded pastures by early to mid-December at 1.5 to 2 acres per calf.

The Washington County Extension Service is hosting a Winter Annual Field Day on Nov. 17, beginning at 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Program will be held at the County Extension office, 2536 N. McConnell Avenue in Fayetteville. Topics that will be discussed include: winter annual forage production, alfalfa inter-seeding, fescue varieties, agroforestry using orchard grass and native grasses, and a discussion on winter weed control. After a provided lunch, attendees will be touring field trials on the University Farm.

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/ equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your County Extension office (or other appropriate office) as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.