The cold, wet weather has taken a toll on land. Abe Smith, territory manager for Corteva Agriscience, says excessive moisture creates concerns, as farmers look turn cows out to pasture.
?Due to the bitter winter we had, grass may not be in great shape,? Smith said. ?It may not be in as good of shape as what it might be at first glance. While pastures may start out green, it may not be truly indicative of how healthy the root systems are. Much of this grass has had ?damp toes,? so to speak, over the winter and early into spring.?
The best thing to do for your pasture this spring is to go out and scout.
?One of the things you want to make sure you?re doing early in the season is scouting,? Smith said. ?Scouting those pastures (to) understand if you need to be fertilizing to give it the food it needs, so it can grow and compete.?
Another item to scout for is weeds. Smith expects to see early season weed pressure.
?Some folks didn?t (get) their normal fall/spring down (application) down after harvest. There are acres out there that were to be treated, but didn?t get treated,? Smith said. ?There?s plenty of moisture out there. I think we?re going to see an unswathe of early season weeds.?
Corteva Agriscience recommends using residual herbicides to provide season-long control.
?One of the things we believe in is residual herbicides matter greatly, in terms of improving pasture performance. Weed control is a critical tool growers can use to make sure they?re maximizing the return on their acre,? Smith said.
For more information about Corteva Agriscience’s Range & Pasture products, click here.
