From DTN/The Progressive Farmer

By Del Deterling - September 1, 2009 - John Holladay didn't need an expert to tell him some of his pastures were in sad shape. But he knew he needed expert advice when it came to fixing them.

"I had land that had once been in Alicia bermudagrass. They had become overgrown in bahiagrass, carpetgrass and weeds," says Holladay, who farms near Kelly, La. "They were not good for much of anything."

In 2006 he contacted his local Natural Resources Conservation Service office at Monroe. David Vinson, area grazing specialist at the time, came out to evaluate the pastures. Afterward, Vinson and Johanna Pate, NRCS state grazing specialist, developed a pasture improvement plan for Holladay.

The operator implemented their recommendations and admits he has been amazed with the results. Once-worthless pastures now produce lush, nutritious forage. His stockers average 1½ pounds of gain a day.

To develop his plan, the two specialists used a Pasture Condition Score system developed by the USDA-NRCS. Sarah Haymaker, current district conservationist in the Monroe office, explains the process:

One

"We walk every acre of a pasture and stop every 10 steps to see what the pasture condition is at that stop," she says.

Two

"We use a detailed scorecard to evaluate pasture on 10 different factors: percent desirable plants, plant cover, plant diversity, plant residue, plant vigor, percent legume, uniformity of use, livestock concentration areas, soil compaction and soil erosion."

Three

Each of the 10 indicators is rated from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).

Four

Individual scores are added to find the overall rating for the pasture.

Five

Soil tests are used to determine soil acidity and fertility.

Holladay's pastures scored close to a 2, which meant they required immediate attention.

"Using that information, and based on the producer's objectives, we can prescribe a forage improvement plan and a proper grazing system," Haymaker explains.

In Holladay's case, he wanted to grow out heifers as dairy replacements. The NRCS specialists recommended he plant Russell bermudagrass and overseed it, plus add an additional 10 acres of bermuda, with ryegrass and Durana clover. He qualified for incentive payments of $90 per acre.

"We strongly favor plant diversity," Haymaker says. "By having more than one species in a forage mix, you can extend your grazing period. In addition, some species respond better to stresses like drought or grazing pressure."

The clover also produces nitrogen, which should help reduce Holladay's fertilizer cost. But soil tests indicated that with low pH soils he wasn't going to get the maximum benefit or successfully grow clover. To get pH levels to 5.8 or better called for applying 1 ton of limestone per acre. He also applied 80 to 100 pounds of phosphate and potash per acre.

Holladay is now in his second year of an intensive grazing program. Last year he grazed 30 head of Holstein heifers on about 35 acres. The heifers were bought the previous fall, averaging 300 pounds each, and were turned onto the ryegrass in November. Around April 1, the operator turned them onto Russell bermuda long enough for him to get one cutting of hay from the ryegrass-clover pasture.

The heifers were sold to a broker in Springfield, Mo., in July and September, at weights ranging from 650 to 750 pounds.

This season, Holladay has 73 heifers he bought in January. He started them on ryegrass-clover pastures subdivided into paddocks ranging from 3 to 8 acres in size. He estimates his stocking rate at approximately 900 pounds per acre.

"I move them as soon as they graze the forage down to a 2-inch height," he says. "I am looking at average gains over a 10-month period of 1½ pounds per head per day, but they'll gain up to 2½ pounds per day in late spring."

His expectation is to harvest more than 1,200 pounds of liveweight per acre. In addition, he's harvesting and selling up to 700 50-pound square bales of hay from forage not utilized by his cattle.

Haymaker reports Holladay's Pasture Condition Scores have improved to around a 4. Not many pastures score a 5.

"It is an excellent diagnostic tool," Haymaker says of the scoring system. "However, it is very intensive and it is not for everyone. To be successful, the producer has to be willing not only to change the plants and the soil, but his management style as well."

For more information on the Pasture Condition Score system, go to ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/WI/grazing/pasture-score-sheet.pdf