Cut Feed Costs by Improving Pastures: Weed Control and Soil Fertility Strategies for Ranchers

Feed, it’s one of the biggest if not the biggest expense for many ranches. So what can ranchers do to reduce feed costs and still meet nutritional requirements of animals?  

“The cheapest way to feed cattle is through grazing standing forage,” says Sam Ingram, field scientist for Corteva Range and Pasture. More specifically, ranchers should prioritize the forage resources they already have access to. 

Ingram says, “If we prioritize those forages… we can produce more pounds of beef on that given acre.” 

In addition to practicing rotational grazing, implementing weed control and fertilization practices are key components of prioritizing forages. 

Weed Control 

A few weeds may seem harmless at first, but they have a significant economic impact when the difference in pounds of forage is measured after removal. 

“If we remove weeds, we see an increase in forage production,” shares Ingram. “A rule of thumb is remove a pound of weeds and you can get a pound or more of grass.”  

Two weed control options are mechanical and chemical. Mechanical options include tillage, hand pulling or clipping weeds which can be time consuming and labor intensive.  

Chemical options involve the use of herbicides to control weeds. A challenge with chemical control is finding a herbicide that controls weeds without harming other beneficial forages such as grasses and legumes.  

“In the past, we’ve had producers tell us they won’t spray because they don’t want to sacrifice their clovers and annual lespedeza,” shares Ingram. “Fortunately, producers who had this reservation about herbicide application don’t have to have it now.” 

The herbicide NovaGraz is a broadleaf weed control option that doesn’t kill off beneficial legumes such as white clover and annual lespedeza. 

Ingram shares, “It’s a really revolutionary herbicide that we haven’t had on the market to date.” 

For those prioritizing hay forages, the non-residual feature of NovaGraz is also favorable.  

“The nice part of a non-residual herbicide… is that it gives producers flexibility,” says Ingram. “They can make a broadleaf application and still have the option to rotate that acre into another crop.” 

It gives both the hay producer and buyer confidence.  

Soil Fertility 

Ingram shares that creating a plan to focus on fertility starts with soil testing. 

“If you don’t have that test to show you what your nutrient levels are, you’re just guessing,” says Ingram. “Pick a time of the year to test and stick with that time because seasonally our nutrient levels can change.” 

Next, producers should put those results to use.  

“After you get the results, what are you going to do with them,” asks Ingram. “If it makes sense to add fertility, then let’s do that.” 

One caveat of adding fertility is that you are not only providing nutrients for those forages and beneficial legumes, but also weeds. Weeds and grasses are in competition for the same nutrients to thrive. 

“Some producers have to choose—am I going to do fertilizer this year or weed control,” says Ingram. “Now with UltiGraz, you have one pass with both fertility and weed control.” 

UltiGraz combines both weed control and fertility and it can be done in one pass to save time and input costs.  

He says, “We’re controlling the weeds we don’t want, and the fertility is right there for the forages to take off.” 

These are two solutions to maximizing forage production, regardless of the methods you use remember the bigger picture. 

Ingram says, “If we can improve forages through grazing management, weed control, and fertility, that’s going to benefit producers.” 

Listen to the full conversation on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast or learn more about weed control at RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations.