Published in Fall 2024
By: Hayley White, OSU Extension Service Small Farms Program
Fall is arguably the most important time to manage your pasture. How you treat your pasture in the fall determines its success in the next growing season because that is when the growing points of the plant are established. If you leave your pasture overgrazed, it can delay growth by up to six weeks in the spring.
Follow these suggestions in the fall to prepare for a healthy, well-managed pasture in the spring.
Avoid Grazing or Equipment Use When Soils Are Saturated
Wet, saturated soils are very vulnerable. If you graze heavy-hooved animals on your pastures, they will compact your soil and kill vegetation. This creates bare ground, which leaves open space for weeds to move in and significantly lowers the productivity of your pasture. This results in higher supplemental feed, labor, and herbicide costs.
Utilize Overwinter Areas
To keep animals off the wet pastures, we recommend creating an overwinter area, also known as a sacrifice area. This is a smaller pen or area where you keep animals instead of your vulnerable pasture. Yes, this area is smaller, and you will have to feed hay, but you will be rewarded with a healthy, productive pasture that has more forage for longer during the growing season. We recommend constructing overwinter areas with gravel and footing material layers to increase drainage and reduce mud. This saves your animals from being knee-deep in mud and reduces diseases and other health issues.
Test Your Soils and Avoid Over-Application of Nutrients
Fall is a great time to apply nutrients. We recommend waiting until after some rain has fallen so plants are actively growing, but before the true rainy season hits. If you have not tested your soils in 3-5 years or if you are seeing new problems, we recommend testing. With your results, you will know exactly what your pastures need, and you won’t pay for what they don’t. This also reduces the chances of over-applying nutrients, which can cause runoff contamination and other toxicity issues.
Manage Weeds
All pasture stewards have to manage weeds. If you are consistent and plan, it does get easier. In the fall, after we receive some moisture, there will be regrowth and the soils will be softer. This makes weed pulling easier, and if you choose to use herbicide, it will be more effective when applied in the rosette stage when the plant has the most leaf area and before it has bolted.
Establish New Pasture if Needed
If you have decided that renovation is required, fall is one of the best times to plant. As long as you time it right, the warm fall soils encourage root growth for a head start in the spring, and you can evaluate and spot spray or make other adjustments in the spring as needed. We recommend renovating 25% of your fields at a time so other grazing areas are still available. Plan to keep livestock off the new pasture for one year while it is established.
Avoid Grazing Stubble Below 4-6” for Bunch Grasses or 3” for Sod-Forming Grasses
Grasses store sugar to regrow in the lower part of the plant. If the plant is repeatedly grazed below the growing points, it loses energy reserves and must start all over again. This has a significant impact on plant vigor and increases the chances of being outcompeted by weeds. To maintain a height of at least three inches, rotate animals in different pastures or use a sacrifice area until the pasture has regrown.
For other pasture and grazing resources, visit our website: https://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/smallfarms/pastures-hay