While the clock is ticking to establish an additional forage resource for fall grazing this year, even in September it’s not too late to develop and execute a forage plan that includes cover crops.
Cover crops have a high feed value which often exceeds nutritional requirements (protein and energy) of lactating cows or growing calves. While this high-quality feedstuff offers an advantage to adding weight to cows, or an opportunity to background weaned calves, moisture content of cover crops are relatively high and can limit physical animal intake.
In order to ensure optimum forage utilization and cattle performance, consider providing a dry roughage source or grain supplementation. Fortunately, even after a killing frost, cover crops tend to hold feed value relatively well, even into December and January in many cases.
Many of the same management strategies that apply to a pasture-based setting to optimize forage intake and utilization apply to cover crop grazing. Strip-grazing or breaking large fields into paddocks can decrease forage waste.
Frequent moving of feeding areas such as bunks, bale rings and mineral feeders will decrease the risk of compaction from congregation areas. However, maintaining the same feeding area may reduce the area that requires tillage in spring.
Unlike pasture acres, cover crops will be terminated anyway, so the take-half, leave-half theory of pasture grazing to ensure adequate and timely regrowth doesn’t necessarily apply to cover crops. However, cattle turnout too early may result in grazing pulling out young plants before the roots are established, which would eliminate any spring grazing.
While many factors play into the success of cover crops, weather plays the biggest factor. Early establishment is necessary to optimize forage growth. Like any new management practice, incorporation of cover crops into an operation will take time and require some changes in management to truly reap the benefit.
The additional forage resource can complement a grazing system and improve sustainability of both the cow herd and row crop enterprises. 
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Erika Lundy
- Extension Beef Program Specialist
- Iowa Beef Center - Iowa State University
- Email Erika Lundy
