Winterizing Your Cattle with a Prine Forage Pasture

Winter forage pastures help farmers across the southern United States stretch their stockpiles of hay by prolonging the grazing season. A winter pasture supplements winter diets with healthy ryegrass or forage oats, allowing cattle to graze until spring. Planting a successful winter forage pasture begins with Prine. Why Prine? Ragan & Massey developed Prine Tetraploid […]

SEED PURCHASE DECISIONS

Agronomists, seed company representatives, and others often mention the importance of decisions pertaining to seed selection and purchase.  Most forage/livestock producers would say they agree with this line of thinking.  However, it is easy to forget about this (or, more likely, not give it as much attention as it deserves) when actually making a seed […]

MIXED SPECIES GRAZING

There are major differences among animal species with regard to how they graze.  Cattle graze by hooking their tongues around forage, gripping it between the tongue and lower incisor teeth, and then tearing it from the plants.  Sheep, goats, and horses bite off forage much as humans might take a bite out of an apple, […]

PRUSSIC ACID POISONING

Some highly useful forage crops can be toxic in certain situations. The photograph above shows a field of sorghum-sudan hybrid, a fast-growing summer annual grass, which can provide good yields of nutritious forage. However, it is one of the forage crops that can cause prussic acid (also called hydrocyanic or HCN) poisoning. Other species in […]

FORAGE TERMS 

Some terms associated with forage-livestock production are unique. Here are a few that are often used, along with definitions or explanations of each. Knowing what these terms mean can help a person better understand discussions of various aspects of forage-livestock agriculture.  Alkaloids- A large group of complex compounds that contain nitrogen and occur as by-products of plant biochemical processes, […]

MAXIMIZING BENEFITS FROM SOIL AMENDMENTS 

In recent years, fertilizer prices have increased.  Budgets prepared by university agricultural economists indicate that fertilizer cost associated with growing grass is typically 50 to 60 percent of the cost of producing beef cattle.  Unfortunately, it appears that the cost of commercial fertilizer is not likely to decline much anytime soon.  Producers who feel they have limited funds to spend […]

Your Top 3 Prine Questions Answered

Prine. It’s Ragan & Massey’s proprietary seed blend that offers the best in commercially available ryegrass varieties from the outstanding University of Florida ryegrass breeding program. Our high-yield, rust- and disease-resistant tetraploid varieties deliver proven results for nutritious winter forage. Farmers and ranchers from across the country have long used Prine for pastures that can take the pressure of grazing long into the winter.  We get a lot […]

NUTRIENT FLOWS

After World War II, commercial fertilizer came into widespread use in agriculture, including on pastures and hayfields.  While no one enjoyed paying fertilizer bills, for a long time it was relatively inexpensive (or at least affordable), in addition to being quite convenient to use to stimulate forage growth. Things have changed.  Commercial fertilizer is much […]

MANAGING WEEDS IN CLOVERS

Benefits of legumes or legume/grass mixtures can include biological nitrogen fixation, higher forage yield, more favorable distribution of forage growth, and higher forage quality that results in better animal performance.   In pasture situations, clovers are by far the most commonly used type of forage legume. Depending on climatic conditions, soils, and sites, a livestock producer […]

The Best Winter Forage Tip from Ragan & Massey

Farmers across the southern United States depend on winter grazing to provide a healthy diet for livestock until spring. Why?  Winter pastures help stretch stockpiles of hay, saving farmers money and time by allowing cattle, sheep, horses and goats to graze far beyond the normal growing season.  So now that you’re on board with putting in a winter pasture, how do you ensure your […]

What Type of PlotSpike Seed is Best?

Ragan & Massey’s PlotSpike is a high-quality product that attracts both deer and turkey all year long. We also have several varieties, like our Forage Oats, that are PlotSpike exclusives developed just for our customers that work with no fillers or unnecessary coatings. With so many quality varieties, how do you know which type is best for your food plot?  Are you looking to get your food plot started fast?  Try PLOTSPIKE® FORAGE […]

Why You Should Start Your Food Plot Now

It is getting close to the time of year that’s more precious to hunters than any other – hunting season. For most experienced hunters a food plot is a must. Food plots not only draw game and wildlife to your hunting ground, they help herds stay healthy and control population numbers. Even though hunting season doesn’t start until […]

Red Clover: A ‘Work Horse’ Forage Legume

There are several good reasons for growing forage legumes when feasible. These include biological nitrogen fixation, possible extension of the grazing season, increased forage yield (especially compared to grasses receiving little or no nitrogen fertilizer), and improved forage quality.  Factors to consider in selecting a legume to plant can include producer objectives, soil types, sites, and grass species present.  No one legume is right for every […]

WEEDS IN FORAGE CROPS

Weeds rank as one of the major factors that limit productivity of forage crops.  Perhaps the best definition of a weed is simply “a plant out of place.”  Most hayfields, and especially most pastures, contain many plant species that are out of place and are unwanted.  Weeds compete with desirable plants for nutrients, moisture, sunlight, […]

Your Ultimate Guide To Mayberry Grass Seed

Buying grass seed can be confusing. There are numerous blends for sun or shade and the varieties of seed types seem endless. You want your lawn to be healthy, green and luxuriously thick but you don’t want to waste your money buying the wrong seed. We think our Mayberry Grass Seed is the best you can […]

Tips to Keep Your Livestock Safe During Winter

Tips to Keep Your Livestock Safe During Winter

Year after year meteorologists and farmers predict the upcoming winter will be worse than the last – and it turns out to be accurate most of the time! But no matter if the winter or extremely harsh or mild, it always poses a risk to your livestock. The best way to prepare for the worst […]

3 Solutions for Small Farm Winter Forage

3 Solutions for Small Farm Winter Forage

A winter pasture, full of annual forages such as small grains and annual ryegrass, benefits small farms with easy-to-grow, highly-nutritious forage while saving money, time and effort. It is no wonder that more and more farmers across the United States are adopting winter grazing habits for cattle, sheep, horses and goats. Planting a winter pasture […]

EXCLUSION CAGES

FORAGING AHEAD WITH DR. DON BALL: EXCLUSION CAGES

Photo Credit: Marion Barnes. One of the challenges faced by a cattleman or other producer of grazing animals is assessing the productivity of pastures. The reason is that grazing animals “eat the evidence” (i.e. they eat the pasture forage). But a forage-livestock producer at least knows the size of the pasture area and how many […]

Everything You Need To Know About Prine

Ragan and Massey’s Prine seed offers the best in commercially available ryegrass varieties from the outstanding University of Florida ryegrass breeding program. These high-yield, rust- and disease-resistant tetraploid varieties deliver proven results. You shouldn’t have to second-guess when you need to plant a winter pasture. We believe Prine offer the best combination of quality and […]

MINIMIZING FERTILIZER EXPENSES

University budgets reveal that fertilizer usually accounts for 40 percent or more of the cost of producing forage, and N alone can account for 20 to 40 percent of the cost of producing grass forages. The extent to which a livestock producer is able to minimize fertilizer expenses may mean the difference between profit and […]

Trampling Clover Seed

FORAGING AHEAD With Dr. Don Ball: TRAMPLING CLOVER SEED

Livestock producers spend a lot of time taking care of their animals, but the idea of giving the animals a job to do usually doesn’t come to mind.   I am referring to the “trampling” or “walk in” approach to establishing clover. I first observed this technique during a trip to New Zealand in 1988, in […]

Keys To A Profitable Forage Program

FORAGING AHEAD WITH DR. DON BALL: KEYS TO A PROFITABLE FORAGE PROGRAM

Forage programs vary greatly, even on adjacent farms. Reasons include that soils and other resources vary, the objectives and inclinations of producers may not be the same, and the species, classes, and breeds of livestock differ from one farm to another. However, despite diversity regarding the details, forage producers who have the most profitable forage […]

Foraging Ahead With Dr. Don Ball: Hay Feeding Deserves Attention

Foraging Ahead With Dr. Don Ball: Hay Feeding Deserves Attention

Most of the cost of raising livestock is associated with feeding them. Pasture forage is generally the least expensive source of nutrition, which provides an incentive for producers to seek options to extend grazing to the extent possible. Using warm-season and cool-season forages, using annuals to provide grazing when perennials are not productive, and stockpiling […]

Overseeding

Foraging Ahead With Dr. Don Ball: Overseeding Winter Annuals – A Practice Worth Considering

Annual ryegrass is often planted on the dormant pastures of warm-season forages, especially bahiagrass and bermudagrass. However, other warm-season forage crops including dallisgrass, crabgrass, broadleaf signalgrass, and sericea lespedeza can also be overseeded. The dependability and value of this practice has been thoroughly verified by university research, and thousands of livestock producers have benefitted from […]

Key Steps In Overseeding Winter Annuals

Foraging Ahead With Dr. Don Ball: Key Steps In Overseeding Winter Annuals

Fields selected for overseeding should not be excessively wet or subject to flooding.  A soil test should be taken from each field, and any needed lime should be applied several months before planting.  Most winter annuals are best suited to a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5.   Any legume seed planted should be inoculated with […]

Information Determines Results With Dr. Don Ball

Foraging Ahead With Dr. Don Ball: Information Determines Results

During a recent review of forage crop planting recommendations, it occurred to me that such guidelines have a lot in common with driving directions. If we decide to take a trip to a place we have never (or rarely) been before and don’t have a map or GPS unit, we will need some help.

Winter Forages

Winter Forages For Southern Cattlemen: Your Top 3 Winter Forage Questions Answered

Any successful Southern cattleman knows that their real business isn’t cattle; it’s growing grass and then converting that grass into beef. Knowing that better forages make better profits for beef producers, all of us at Ragan and Massey go to great lengths to bring the best forage seeds to fields and pastures. In addition to this, it’s also important to know and understand […]

PlotSpike

From Harvest To Hunting: How PlotSpike Gives You The Best Of Both

One of the best rewards in the fall is being able to trade early mornings in the tractor for early mornings in the treestand. We know we’re not alone as we gladly switch our work jeans for camo and blaze orange; harvest-turned-hunting season is one of our favorite times of the year.

Forage Crop Diversity

Foraging Ahead With Dr. Don Ball: Forage Crop Diversity Provides Benefits

In some situations, striving for uniformity is highly desirable, but development of a forge program for a livestock farm generally doesn’t fall into this category. In fact, planting and growing a diverse crops on such a farm, and in many cases in the same field, offers some distinct advantages to your forage.

Broiler Litter

Foraging Ahead With Dr. Don Ball: Fertilizing Forages With Broiler Litter

Poultry and beef are in competition in the grocery store, but on individual farms they are often quite compatible enterprises.  One reason for this pertains to the litter generated in broiler production houses.  Broiler litter (normally a combination of sawdust, wood shavings, or peanut hulls, plus poultry manure, feathers, and wasted feed), builds upon the […]

UF-Riata Springs Forward

UF-Riata Springs Forward

There’s something about a Sunday drive that seems to be genetically programmed into farmers. We take the long way home from church, from family breakfasts, or from a ball game just to see how our piece of the world is doing. My grandfather did it. My father did it. And now I find myself doing […]

A Factor That Limits Legumes

Foraging Ahead With Dr. Don Ball: A Factor That Limits Legumes

Most livestock producers understand the desirability of having forage legumes such as clovers and vetches present in pastures. As compared to grasses and non-leguminous forbs, biological nitrogen fixation and improved forage quality provided by legumes are major attributes. In addition, in some cases legumes can extend the growing season and increase forage yield. These are […]

UF Riata Grass Seed

Getting to the Root of UF-Riata: Success Runs Deep

For every farm kid who leaves for college or other life adventure, you’ll have a parent, grandparent, or uncle that imparts a piece of advice or two. Mine had a recurrent theme. “Remember your roots,” they said. As if the seed stickers on the back of my truck weren’t a strong enough reminder.

Holdover Seed

Foraging Ahead with Dr. Don Ball: Holdover seed

Each year, many cattlemen and other livestock producers purchase cool-season forage seed they intend to use in autumn plantings. For various reasons, some of this seed doesn’t get planted (the most common reason being dry weather at planting time, which happens fairly regularly in autumn in the Southeast). So when you have holdover seed, what […]