Country Selector
Please enter a valid location
Beef Up Pastures by Conserving White Clover
White clover is a valuable forage in grazing acres.
Today, every acre needs to work harder than ever before. Producers must continuously explore ways to improve forage quality, reduce input costs and maximize pasture productivity while remaining good stewards of the land. Every additional pound of forage available counts towards the bottom line, and one forage that continues to prove its value is white clover.
White clover contributes more than just additional pounds of forage. This legume can enhance pasture quality, provide a natural source of nitrogen and help support herd performance throughout the grazing season. As input costs remain a key consideration for cattle operations, preserving established white clover stands and incorporating new stands has become an increasingly valuable management strategy.
The challenge can be balancing white clover development with effective weed control. Fortunately, advances in pasture management tools are giving producers options to manage troublesome broadleaf weeds while maintaining the benefits that white clover brings to the grazing system.
Boosting Forage Quality
When it comes to cattle nutrition, grass is the lowest-cost feed source for producers. White clover’s palatability and high-protein content complement grass pastures and add value to grazing acres.
Key benefits of preserving white clover include:
- Increased protein content
- Improved forage intake
- High digestibility for cattle
- Improved conception rates
- Reduced likelihood of grass tetany
Bret Winsett, Barenbrug Forage Product Manager, brings 40 years of experience in the industry. He recommends Alice white clover for added pasture forage, because it is a great companion with grasses and has high production, nutritive and palatability values.
He says that white clover is very aggressive as a seedling, but it’s important to keep the competition low when developing a new stand. He emphasizes the importance of soil quality while developing white clover stands.
“The most important element to consider regarding maximizing white clover growth when planting is soil pH,” Winsett says. “Test your soil. Don’t guess.”
Winsett understands there are hesitancies among producers regarding bloat in cattle grazing white clover.
“Bloat can be an issue on occasion if the available forage is primarily clover, but it’s very rare,” Winsett said. “Typically, the clover isn’t dense enough to cause a problem.”
Nitrogen Advantages
Nitrogen input costs remain a consideration for producers looking to maximize forage production. White clover’s ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen is one of its most valuable contributions to a grazing system. The legume captures nitrogen from the air and converts it into a usable form for plant growth.
Over time, that nitrogen becomes available to companion grasses through plant decomposition and nutrient cycling, helping support pasture productivity while reducing dependence on commercial nitrogen fertilizer, which can help lower pasture input costs.
“All legumes naturally produce nitrogen,” Winsett said. “Lower commercial fertilizer costs and more-palatable, -digestible protein in pastures is a win-win for cattle producers.”
Protecting This Resource
Producers increasingly need weed control options that preserve white clover in order to reap the benefits this legume brings to grazing acres. Until now, pasture herbicides could not control most broadleaf weeds without also removing white clover and annual lespedeza. That all changed with NovaGraz™ herbicide.
NovaGraz herbicide is an innovative weed control solution that enables cattle producers to preserve white clover and annual lespedeza while providing enhanced broadleaf weed control. NovaGraz is the only product on the market that can make this claim.
“Many producers rely on white clover and annual lespedeza in their pastures to improve forage quality for grazing and haying and for the legumes’ nitrogen-fixing capability to enhance soil fertility and health,” said Morgan Bohlander, U.S. portfolio marketing lead, Range & Pasture, Corteva Agriscience. “Without effective broadleaf weed control, the harm that weeds cause to forage production and quality can outweigh the benefits of these legumes.”
For every pound of weeds eliminated, producers can get back up to 1.5 pounds of grass; it is imperative cattle producers keep pasture management and weed control high on the priority list.
“Cattle producers need solid weed control, because weeds will drown out upcoming clover,” Winsett says.
White clover continues to earn its place in productive grazing systems. By improving forage quality, contributing nitrogen and supporting pasture productivity, the legume delivers benefits that extend beyond the grazing season. With weed control tools that help preserve desirable clover stands, producers can continue capturing the value that white clover brings to their operations.
Visit with your Corteva Agriscience Range & Pasture Specialist about how to preserve white clover and annual lespedeza with NovaGraz herbicide. You can find your range & pasture specialist at www.rangeandpasture.com/specialist.
To learn from other beef producers and read their stories, visit RangeAndPasture.com/Steward.
White clover and annual lespedeza exhibit some initial injury (such as lodging and loss of vigor) but recover. NovaGraz™ is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions.