As those rainy days of winter loom on the horizon, take advantage of the sunny, warm fall days to prepare for winter! Tackling farm maintenance and good management practices now may help you avoid hours of cold, wet emergency repairs this winter.
Fences
Take actions now for a healthy pasture next spring!
During the busy days of summer, routine maintenance of fence lines and scouting for trouble spots may have landed on the back burner. Look for broken or sagging wire, unstable posts, and gate problems.
If you have electric fences, make sure to mow surrounding weeds and grasses that may short out the system. Clean solar panels to collect as much sunlight as possible.
Repost any missing or damaged “no trespassing” or “no hunting” signs. Avoid hunters tragically mistaking livestock for deer or elk.
Pastures
Fall management of pastures has a great deal to do with the health of your pastures next year. This is the time of year for new root growth and storage of carbohydrates in the lower 3-4 inches of the stem. Any management of a pasture that hinders these two processes will mean problems for your pasture in the spring.
The following advice about how to prepare for winter is from Gene Pirelli, Extension Animal Scientist, Oregon State University, and Steve Fransen, Extension Forage Agronomist, Washington State University taken from their article, PASTURE MANAGEMENT: UNDERSTANDING PLANT AND ROOT GROWTH IN THE FALL.
禾本科植物可以放牧到表 1 所示的最低高度，但不能低于该高度。这些建议的最低留茬高度可使草类植物储存碳水化合物，以便秋季重新旺盛生长。 低于此高度放牧会减少秋季饲料和随后的春季生长。
| 最小草地 | 茬口高度 |
|---|---|
| 高羊茅 | 3-4 英寸 |
| 平滑锦鸡儿 | 3-4 英寸 |
| 多年生黑麦草 | 2 英寸 |
| 果园草 | 3-4 英寸 |
| 草地锦鸡儿 | 3-4 英寸 |
| 蓝草 | 3-4 英寸 |
| 提摩太 | 4-6 英寸 |
秋季是采集土壤样本以检测牧场土壤肥力的大好时机。土壤测试应在每年的同一个月进行，以保持一致性。初秋也是根据土壤测试结果施用养分的好时机。俄勒冈州立大学推广肥料指南》可帮助您确定养分的类型和适当的用量。可以根据植物对养分的需求施用粪肥或其他氮源，但要确保不要施用过多的氮。秋末施氮量过高导致植物生长旺盛，更容易受到冬季损害，因为生长会延缓冬季休眠。过量施氮会抑制植物开始越冬反应。高氮往往会降低糖分浓度，因此植物会试图重新填满已耗尽的茬口糖分银行账户。如果不允许植物休息并为越冬做好准备，它们很容易在第一个寒冷的冬季受伤或死亡。随着秋季气温的变化，植物会产生一种名为 "脯氨酸 "的 "防冻剂 "来保护自己。这种 "防冻剂 "只有在没有过量氮的情况下，才会在冬季积聚在每一个活的植物细胞中。
Eastern and western Oregon grass hay growers should follow the same recommendations as folks with pastures. Many grass hay growers with cattle like to move the animals onto the hay field after the last cutting has been removed. This long held practice may do more damage than you realize. The remaining hay stubble is high in storage sugars, just like in the pasture. Livestock tend to readily eat this plant portion because it tastes good. Without adequate storage of basal sugars prior to winter, those plants will have a distinct disadvantage in the spring. If you must graze hay fields in the fall, make sure you’ve given the field adequate time for regrowth to occur and to follow the same guidelines of stubble height minimums as for pastures.
For long-term survival of pastures and hayfields, remember to keep an eye on stubble heights and don’t graze below them. Allow roots to rebuild and shoots to develop by not grazing hard in the fall. Make plans to get on a soil testing schedule, which is usually a test every three to five years. Use that information to make the most economical fertilizer applications. By following some of these management tips, your pasture should be productive for many years.
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