Grazing Under Pivots

Farmers on the High Plains are partnering with ranchers to convert irrigated circles to hay and forage crops. Learn how they’re making it work.

On the semi-arid High Plains of western Nebraska, even agriculture has a tough time maintaining its foothold. Averaging barely 15 inches of rain per year, the region seems better suited to almost anything other than growing a crop or maintaining a herd. For decades, farmers and ranchers here have had to be creative with their crops and their rotations, with their land and with their plans. And today, low commodity prices and high input costs are calling that creativity back into play.

“With commodity prices and input costs being what they are, you have to look at what’s going to pencil out at the end of the day,” says Katie Koenig, Pasture and Land Management Specialist, Corteva Agriscience. “If you have irrigated circles, sure, you could put in wheat, milo, corn, whatever. But then after you pay for all the inputs, you may not see a positive return.”

Instead of searching for the crop that will lose the least amount of money, Koenig is encouraging ranchers who also plant irrigated cropland to consider an unusual step: forego the commodity crops – at least for the moment – and instead plant those circles to a native forage mix and convert those acres to grazing.

“I’ve seen so many areas in my territory where they’re taking existing row crop fields and reseeding them back to grass or annual forages,” says Koenig. “One, that’s the native flora, and two, they have to put so much money into a crop, it just doesn’t pencil out right now. By utilizing the land in this way, farmers can still earn a return, either by leasing the ground out to someone who needs more grazing acres, or if they have cattle of their own, they can increase their own stocking rates and capitalize on the current cattle market.”

A Step Further

It’s the kind of idea that makes people ask themselves, “Why didn’t I think of that?” But Jim Milne, Jr., crop advisor, Simplot Grower Solutions, Alliance, Nebraska, says he has farm and ranch customers who are working together to take the concept a step further.

“I have one grower who’s a traditional sugar beet, wheat, corn, and dry bean producer,” says Milne, “and he’s converted four pivots over to hay and forage crops.”

Milne says the farmer will plant two of those pivots with peas and oats for hay. The farmer and a nearby rancher will split expenses 50/50, and the rancher will buy the farmer’s share of the hay for an agreed-upon amount.

“When they’re done haying that off, the farmer will come back, get that ground ready again, and put in a grazing mix,” says Milne. “The farmer will retain control, but the rancher has agreed to graze that for a certain dollar amount per head, for a certain time.”

It’s as close to a win-win situation as you’re likely to find in production ag: the rancher has hay and grazing locked in, the farmer has an alternative income stream while commodity prices are down, and the ground receives the benefit of both grazing and rotation.

“As an agronomist, I really preach the value of rotation,” says Milne. “We’ve been backed into a corner with commodity prices, so we have farmers that are doing multiple years of a single crop, or rotating crops too close together. But by planting these hay and forage crops, it’s the best of all worlds.”

Weed Control Demands Care

And while the switch to hay or forage crops would likely be easy for most row-crop producers, weed control will still demand attention. New crops introduce or allow new weed species, as well as additional concerns over graze-ability and plant-back restrictions.

“When you switch from row crops like this,” says Koenig, “you know the weeds have been there, you know the seed bank will be there. So you’ll want to make sure your weed control program allows you the flexibility not just for grazing but also for crop rotation later on.”

“DuraCor^® herbicide is the perfect tool for this situation,” says Koenig. “DuraCor is one of our most flexible pasture weed-control products; it can be used pre- or post-emergence when reseeding to cool- or warm-season grasses, and it offers no grazing restrictions. And the DuraCor label allows for rotation to cereals or corn one year after an application, so when we see these markets bounce back, there’s no second guessing.”

Bridging ‘A Huge Divide’

For his part, Milne is hopeful farmers and ranchers in his area can set an example for those in other parts of the country hard-hit by low commodity prices, hay shortages, or loss of grazing acres.

“I think in the U.S., there’s been a huge divide between the crop farmers and the livestock producers,” Milne says. “And I think we’ll all be better off if we work together. And I firmly believe we’re going to start seeing people trade ground. You might have a rancher who’s been growing hay, and he rents that out to a farmer who’ll put potatoes on it. Then the potato guy offers up a place for the rancher to graze or plant alfalfa.”

“In the last 10 years or so, farmers and ranchers both have become more open to a new approach,” Milne says. “And it’s commodity prices that are going to drive this kind of out-of-the-box thinking. The pocketbook is the ultimate motivator!”

Under normal field conditions this product is non-volatile. DuraCor® has no grazing or haying restrictions for any class of livestock, including lactating dairy cows, horses (including lactating mares) and meat animals prior to slaughter. However, label precautions do apply to forage treated with DuraCor to manure and urine from animals that have consumed treated forage. DuraCor is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determinte of a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Allways read and follow label directions.