Country Selector
Please enter a valid location
Grow your own lucky white clover
White clover could bring fortune to your forage mix
In March, we think about luck — luck of the Irish to be precise. Cattle producers grow their own luck when it comes to forage production by implementing a strong pasture management plan.
With added forage, a pasture acre feeds more cattle or the same number of cattle longer. One way to add more pounds of forage is to preserve white clover on pasture ground.
Value-add to grazing acres
Producers know the value of preserving white clover in grazing acres. These legumes add vital protein to their cattle’s diets while fixing nitrogen in the soil, which reduces reliance on commercial fertilizers.
Additional benefits of preserving white clover include:
- High digestibility for cattle
- Improved conception rates
- Increased rate of gain
- Reduced likelihood of grass tetany
Until now, pasture herbicides could not control most broadleaf weeds without also removing white clover and annual lespedeza. That changes 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.
A success story
Loyd Dodson believes in letting his cattle feed themselves off the land rather than feeding them extra hay and haylage throughout the summer. He runs Dodson Ranch, a cow-calf operation in Coushatta, Louisiana, that has been in his family since 1872, with cattle on the ranch since 1988.
“The object is — and you’ll see this all over the country — let the cows feed themselves from what you’re raising in the dirt rather than bringing something else in,” Dodson explains. “If you have to give them more, it will impact your pocketbook. That’s why we try to keep the competition away from the white clover.”
Rotational grazing on white clover is what Dodson prefers, and he overseeds fields on a regular basis to ensure cattle have access to this nutritious legume, which helps improve performance and increase rate of gain on calves and stockers.
“If the white clover is good, that cow will be milking like a Holstein, and that makes that steer yearling she has on her side grow. Come spring, he’ll be weighing 650-700 pounds,” he says. “Nothing makes a cow milk, in my opinion, like white clover. If you have that calf on the ground in October, you can sit back and drink your sweet tea and watch him grow.”
Dodson breaks down the return on investment and how weed control pays on his ranch.
“The more grass you grow and the less weeds there are, the more you have for your cows to eat. If all you have is grass or legumes, then you can run another cow per acre. That will pay for the cost of the chemical,” Dodson explains. “You’re going to spend money one way or the other feeding your cattle. It’s a lot easier to open a gate and let the cows go out there than it is to have a hay truck pull up to the yard.”
White clover management
With 40 years of experience in the industry, Bret Winsett, Barenbrug forage product manager, recommends Alice white clover for added pasture forage, because it is a great companion with grasses and has high production, nutritive and palatability values.
“The most important element to consider to maximize growth is soil pH,” Winsett says. “Test, don’t guess.”
Winsett explains why weed control is vital to the success of white clover. “Cattle producers need good weed control, because weeds can drown out upcoming clover,” Winsett says.
When it comes to cattle nutrition, grass is the lowest-cost feed source. For every pound of weeds eliminated, producers can get back up to 1.5 pounds of grass. Considering those numbers, it’s imperative cattle producers keep pasture management and weed control top of mind.
Grow your own luck. Visit with your Corteva R&P Specialist about how to preserve white clover with NovaGraz herbicide.
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.