As August and our limited rainfall continue, it’s time to
start thinking about changing pasture management. The key to managing pastures
during times of limited rainfall is to minimize impacts on pastures both now
and into the future.
Avoiding overgrazing will allow grasses to rebound quickly
once the rain comes. Grass is living off its root reserves when there is little
to no leaves. Grazing down the plants tight to the ground will add additional
stress and accelerate depletion of the root mass, which the plant will need to
have to capture rainfall in the future. Having adequate rest of approximately
30 days for paddocks also will help protect the root mass.
Confining livestock to a sacrifice area and feeding
supplemental hay and grain is one strategy to help protect the pasture. While
this may seem to be a costly alternative, protecting the grass now may increase
the grazing season into the fall when regular rains begin again.
An opportunity to learn more about summer feeding strategies
and see them put into practice is at a pasture walk hosted at Matt Rohr’s farm
on Thursday, Aug. 28 from 6-8:30 p.m. Topics discussed will include plant
identification, watering system installation, new pasture seedings and overall
summer pasture management. Dinner and water will be provided. RSVP to
Holmes SWCD at 330-674-2811 ext. 3 or holmes.swcd@gmail.com.
Another way you can come learn from experience is coming up
on Aug. 22, when our Ladies of the Land program starts up for fall! We will be
back at Gable Crest Gardens with our hosts Rachel and Jeff Pendlebury. After
learning about their cut-flower enterprise last summer, we are digging deeper
into another aspect of their farm and business: managing honeybees!
Their interest in bees takes many forms: collecting local
colonies when a swarm is reported, extracting honey from frames for raw honey
to sell, trying new recipes and techniques to incorporate honey into their
diet, and most of all, managing their property to be good hosts for bees and
wild pollinators.
One major change they have adopted is converting some of the
flower species they rely on for their cut-flower business to incorporate
perennials and especially prairie wildflowers. This allows them to include a
wider variety of plants, which is enjoyed by people and the birds and insects
that feed on the leaves, spent flowers and seed heads. They’ve also planted a
large prairie area that has been a major magnet for birds, butterflies and wild
bees in addition to their honeybees.
Switching from a heavy reliance on annuals has other
beneficial effects too. They disturb the soil less than planting annual bulbs,
plugs or preparing seedbeds, which is an important practice for soil health. They
use natural soil amendments, like biochar and compost, for the nutrient needs of
their crop, and by utilizing native plants, they don’t lean on chemical inputs
for fertilizers or pesticides. Instead, they control competing vegetation by
mowing or hand cutting and let the bugs enjoy their fair share of the flowers!
Our event, Pollinator Paradise, will take place Aug. 22 from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Gable Crest Gardens. Registration is required, and the $30
fee covers the program, a plant walk, honey extraction demos and a honey
tasting. Lunch and water also will be provided. Contact Holmes SWCD with
questions or to RSVP at 330-674-2811 ext. 3 or holmes.swcd@gmail.com.
Darby Sherman is a conservation specialist with Holmes Soil & Water Conservation District.
