Stockpiling is the practice of letting forage accumulate in the late summer or early fall to delay grazing until the winter months. An on farm research trial shows after applying 54 pounds of nitrogen per acre to pasture around September 1, pastures yielded on average 2,542 pounds of available forage per acre by early December. It should be noted that these farms did the proper prep work in order to achieve these results and that weather/rainfall also affects yield. Pastures were mowed or grazed and then rested during the month of August. Grazing was deferred until December or later. Stockpiled fescue has good nutritive value as it stays vegetative for most of the fall and during this time it has elevated sugar content and good digestibility. Nutrient content is relatively stable over the fall/winter months when stockpiled. Steps to take for stockpiling are listed below. 

• Select the pasture in advance. 
  • It should contain mostly tall fescue with the ideal pH to support forage growth. 
• Prep the pasture by grazing/mowing to a height of 3 inches and then close it to grazing. 
  • The pasture should be rested for at least two weeks before N application; if the pasture was grazed below 3 inches, allow it to rest for four weeks prior to application of N. N fertilization should occur mid August in the mountains and September 1 in the piedmont. Ideally there should be 60 days of regrowth before cool weather sets in and slows forage growth.
• Fertilize the pasture with 50 – 80 lbs. of nitrogen. 
  • It’s important to consider the cost/type of nitrogen along with the pasture’s ability to produce forage without N supplementation before deciding on application rate. 
  • Some sources of N, such as urea and urea-based fertilizers, are volatile so they are best utilized if spread right before a rain. If you’ve used animal wastes like poultry litter or have a good rotational system utilizing legumes, you may already have plenty of N cycling in the soil, so N may not be needed in all cases.
• Utilize warm season forages and other pastures while the fescue accumulates. Half an acre of stockpiled fescue should provide 60-90 days of grazing per animal unit.
  • It is important to not begin grazing too soon. The ergovaline content of the fescue will decline as winter progresses. 
• Begin grazing after December or later, utilizing electric fencing to ensure most effective utilization. Keep an eye on the cattle to ensure they have adequate forage and nutrients.
  • Give livestock enough forage for approximately 3 days at a time. Using frontal grazing prevents damage and decay to forage cattle do not need yet; no back stop is needed using this method due to slow rate of regrowth that time of year.

August is the time to start preparing if this is a practice that could work for you and your operation. It is never too early to consider planning for next year!

Forage systems of tall fescue and tall fescue plus stockpiling.

Sources:

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/production-and-utilization-of-stockpiled-tall-fescue-understanding-the-basic-concepts

https://grasslandrenewal.org/2024/08/15/august-is-time-to-prepare-fields-for-stockpiling/ 

Image:

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/production-and-utilization-of-stockpiled-tall-fescue-understanding-the-basic-concepts