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| USDA makes CRP ground available for hay, pasture |
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U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Ed Schafer announced on May 27 that the USDA has authorized Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage be made available for haying and/or grazing after the primary nesting season ends for grass-nesting birds. In Ohio, this means these acres may become feed for livestock after July 15 and until Nov. 10.
More than 24 million acres of land enrolled in CRP will be eligible for this feed use program. USDA estimates this program will make available up to 18 million tons of forage worth $1.2 billion throughout the United States. In Butler County, there are 665 acres of eligible land.
The CRP lands deemed the most environmentally-sensitive will not be eligible. This means land in grass waterways, or in upland game bird programs will not be eligible. Acres which are eligible will be subject to a site inspection to ensure compliance with the
conservation plan. No rental payment reduction will be assessed on contracts being utilized for this use, however, a $75 fee will be charged to process the required contract modification through the Farm Service Agency.
Late season grasses can most likely be utilized similar to other low protein, high lignin feeds we worked with during last year’s drought. Low quality forages become 30 percent more digestible when processed or ground, and must be supplemented with appropriate amounts of protein, according to Dr. Francis Fluharty, Ohio State University Extension specialist. Distiller’s grains may be an excellent protein source for balancing late season, high lignin forages.
Producers with CRP acres planted to warm season grasses may have less feed quality issues than those with the cool season grasses, according to Bob Hendershot, state grassland conservationist with the USDA. When harvested at the boot to early head stage, quality can be good, but like all grasses when the seed head emerges, quality falls quickly.
Late July switchgrass will have a protein level between 8 to 10 percent with a TDN (Total Digestible Nutrients) between 55-60 percent. Big Bluestem and Indianagrass in late July will be 12 to 14 percent protein and 60 to 65 TDN. They will be 6 to 8 percent protein and 50 percent TDN when the seed heads are fully emerged. Hendershot says beef cattle utilize the fiber components of warm season grasses better than the fiber found in cool season grass. Warm season grasses also have a higher component of bypass protein. If your animals have not eaten warm season grasses before, it will take some time for them to adjust to the new forage. It has been Hendershot’s experience that warm season grass large round bales will store better and have less spoilage than cool season grass hay bales because of the composition. Sign up to hay or graze CRP acres under this new program began June 2 at local FSA offices and is only available for 2008.
Readers with questions or comments for Steve Bartels may write to him in care of this publication. |
| 6/4/2008 |
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