Forage Management

Calibrating Forage Seeding Equipment

Marcelo Wallau, Joao Vendramini, and Ed Jennings

Hurricane Preparedness for Forage Crops in the Southeast United States

José C. B. Dubeux, Jr. and Edward K. Twidwell

This 4-page document provides information on preparing forage crops, conserved forage, and grazing areas for potential hurricane damage and alleviating hurricane damage on forage crops and grazing lands in the Southeast United States, with an emphasis on the Florida peninsula and Gulf Coast.

Dealing With High Fertilizer Costs in Forage Production Systems

M.L. Silveira, J. M. Vendramini, P. J. Hogue and J. F. Selph

Methods of Forage Moisture Testing

M. Wallau and J. Vendramini

Grass Tetany in Cattle

Y. C. Newman, M. J. Hersom, and W. E. Kunkle

This document is about grass tetany, sometimes called grass staggers or hypomagnesemia, that can be a serious problem in Florida with cattle grazing small grain or ryegrass pastures. The problem is usually confined to lactating cows. It is always associated with an imbalance in the mineral components of blood serum, especially reduced magnesium levels. In Florida, grass tetany is more severe when cattle are grazing young forage, particularly the first flush of growth during December and January. Once the forage becomes more mature, the likelihood of problems is reduced. Grass tetany is apt to appear under conditions of nutritional stress. Placing cattle on winter pasture directly after being on frosted or other low quality pasture may cause such a nutritional stress. First published in April 1997. 

Budgets for Pasture Establishment: Seeded and Vegetative

Les Harrison, Chris Prevatt, Jonael Bosques, and Yoana Newman

Ecosystem Services Provided by Grass-Legume Pastures

Jose Dubeux, Jr., Lynn Sollenberger, Mark Mauldin, and Liza Garcia

Comparison of Hay or Round Bale Silage as a Means to Conserve Forage

Matt Hersom, Todd Thrift, and Joel Yelich

Estimating Herbage Mass on Pastures to Adjust Stocking Rate

Jose Dubeux, Marcelo Wallau, João Vendramini, Liliane Silva, Jane Griffin, Nicolas DiLorenzo, and Erick Santos

This document explains methods to measure forage mass and utilize that information to estimate an adequate stocking rate. 

Carbon Sequestration in Grazing Land Ecosystems

Maria Silveira, Ed Hanlon, Mariana Azenha, and Hiran M. da Silva

Estimating Amount of Forage in Hay Fields and Pastures

T. Wilson, C. Sanders, J. Breman, and L. Sollenberger

Factors Affecting Forage Quality

M. O. Wallau, A. T. Adesogan, L. E. Sollenberger, J. M. B. Vendramini, and J. C. B. Dubeux, Jr.

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Pasture’s Role in Climate Change Mitigation

Maria Silveira, Rosvel Bracho, Curtis Dell, and Abmael Cardoso

This new 4-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences provides information about the role of native and cultivated pastures in climate change mitigation and the opportunities and challenges for improving carbon sequestration in agroecosystems. Climate change mitigation in the context of this publication refers to actions that reduce the rate of climate change. This information should be of interest to stakeholders, students, scientists, and environmental agencies interested in enhancing ecosystems services provided by grazing lands. Written by Maria Silveira, Rosvel Bracho, Curtis Dell, and Abmael Cardoso.

Survey of Mycotoxins Present in Florida Pastures Across Time, Locations, and Grass Species

Hui-Ling (Sunny) Liao, Kaile Zhang, Vijay Verma, Haihua Wang, Brittany Justesen, Joseph Walter, Valerie Mendez, Ann Blount, Cheryl Mackowiak, Marcelo Wallau, Robbie Jones, Ko-Hsuan Chen, Ed Jennings, JK Yarborough, Doug Mayo, Ray Bodrey, and Aaron S

The toxicity of grasses caused by mycotoxins has led to economic losses in the United States due to the health impact on livestock feeding on it. Florida's warm and humid weather is favorable for the growth of mycotoxin-producing fungi on grasses. The JECFA has provided evaluations and risk management for some high-risk mycotoxins; however, more research is needed in Florida to determine the maximum levels of these mycotoxins, how different environmental conditions affect these levels, and the specialized risk management to prevent animals from getting sick. Our Extension agents were able to collect and examine 195 grass samples from 13 ranchers across dry and wet seasons in Florida. In this publication, we summarized the results for our ranchers to learn more about (1) what (dominant) mycotoxins are generally present in Florida’s pastures, (2) what grass species could harbor more of these mycotoxins, and (3) what seasons or locations may favor these dominant mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins in Florida Pastures

Marcelo Wallau, Brittany Justesen, Ann Blount, Cheryl Mackowiak, Hui-Ling (Sunny) Liao, and Diwakar Vyas

Beef cattle producers in Florida have expressed concerns about the potential presence of mycotoxins in summer perennial forages. In other regions of the US, mycotoxins in forage crops have caused productivity and economic losses. This article provides information about the current state of knowledge regarding mycotoxins in Florida perennial grass pastures.

Pasture Aeration

Joao Vendramini and Maria Silveira

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. Published by Plant Systems

Sustainable Nitrogen in Livestock Systems: Forage Legumes vs. N Fertilizers

Kevin Roger Trumpp, Kalyn Waters, José Dubeux, and Cleber Henrique Lopes de Souza

Nitrogen (N) is a key element in promoting plant and livestock growth and production. The two major ways to add N in pastures are fertilizer and integrating N-fixing forage legumes. The purpose of this publication is to compare these two options for cattle producers, farmers, Extension agents, and policymakers. Written by Kevin Roger Trumpp, Kalyn Waters, José Dubeux, and Cleber Henrique Lopes de Souza, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agronomy, February 2025.