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Pasture Renovations Will Help Spendthrift Farm Implement Rotational Grazing

Spendthrift Farm is one of Lexington's iconic Thoroughbred breeding and racing operations. Due to recent expansion, the farm wanted to renovate some unused fields and develop them into pastures to use in a rotational grazing system. They turned to forage experts with the Horse Pasture Evaluation Program in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment for their recommendations.

“The Horse Pasture Evaluation Program is a good tool for all horse farms to use,” said Robbie Moreland, Spendthrift maintenance manager. “It gives us options and guidelines that we can use to develop the land to suit our needs.”

Spendthrift Farm has worked with Krista Lea, UK research analyst, and Ray Smith, UK forage extension specialist, for a number of years to evaluate and renovate fields on their main farm through the program.

“They have done a good job of implementing grazing rotations, as well as removing fescue from some key broodmare fields and having good success with over seeding,” Lea said. “This was our first endeavor with them trying to completely re-establish a pasture.”

The pasture renovation that began in summer 2019 includes 130 acres of an adjoining property the farm purchased a few years back but had not fully incorporated into their operation.

“The land was physically rough, and the grass was consumed by weeds. We decided the best thing to do was just to start completely over again and develop a grass pasture,” Moreland said.

Farm management wanted to establish pastures that were healthy and beneficial for their horses and good for the natural environment. In 2019, they opted to kill off the existing vegetation using tillage, rather than a traditional field burndown with glyphosate. They reseeded the fields with a mixture of bluegrass, orchardgrass and perennial ryegrass. Even though Central Kentucky experienced a drought last fall, the seed germinated and created a lush stand of grass.

Moreland said Spendthrift plans to start fencing the renovated pasture and building a barn this fall, with the goal of allowing horses to graze in the pasture in the spring. Moreland said it was important to the farm to slowly and methodically prepare the ground for grazing.

“We would like to keep these pastures lush,” Moreland said. “To do this, we are going to use it as a pasture rotation with our main farm. The new pastures and barn will be used for our mares and weanlings.”

Spendthrift Farm is just one of the farms the Horse Pasture Evaluation Program advises each year. From its beginnings in 2005 to 2019, the program conducted more than 250 evaluations on horse farms of all sizes and breeds. In 2020, Lea and her student interns have evaluated nearly 30 farms. This is the highest number of operations they have serviced in any one year.

“A high-quality pasture is beneficial to both horses and the environment,” Lea said. “It allows horses to select the best possible forage and stay away from undesirable weeds. We know that good quality pasture maintains a lot of cover, and that reduces soil erosion, prevents nutrients from leaching off that pasture and maintains the soil that is there.”

More information about the program is available here.

Which Grasses Should You Plant In Your Pastures? Seed Selection For Pasture Renovation

As equestrians, we know that we must be somewhat selective of the mounts we choose. While exceptions exist, Quarter Horses tend to make better reiners than Saddlebreds, Warmbloods tend to make better jumpers than Arabians and Belgians tend to make better pullers than, well anything that isn't a draft horse. It's also no surprise that within each breed or discipline, some lines or family groups are just better at a specific skill then others. We like to think that selecting grass for our pastures is simpler, but the truth is, there are better species for different situations, and within each species, some varieties will perform better under certain conditions or geographical areas. Hopefully, this information will help you to select species and varieties of grasses for you fall planting.

Species Selection

The biggest factor in selecting species is where in the country are you located, though use will also have some impact. Grass (and legume) species can be divided into warm season and cool season grasses. Warm seasons, such as bermudagrass and bahiagrass, thrive in warm climates, such as those found in the Deep South. Cool seasons, such as tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass thrive best in the cooler northern regions. Kentucky and neighboring states are located in the transition zone, meaning that both warm and cool season grasses can be maintained, though cool seasons are the primary pasture grasses. Intended use can impact species selection as well and are best explained by example. The University of Kentucky Veterinary Science Department was interested in replanting a pasture that gets heavy use, but only in the summer months. For this reason, bermudagrass was recommended as it is high yielding and grazing tolerant and mainly productive in the summer months.

In another example, small paddocks that are usually grazed hard are often seeded with perennial ryegrass for its quick germination and inexpensive cost. Perennial ryegrass typically has the highest concentrations of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) of the cool season grasses, so some farms with overweight and/or founder-prone horses will decide against it.

Variety Selection

Like selecting an equine bloodline for racing or jumping, variety selection requires a bit of research, but pays off in the end. Seed can be of two types, “commercial” are those of improved varieties with known and proven genetics or “common,” seed that has unknown parentage and performance. Common may also be listed as “variety unknown or variety not stated.” This is equivalent to a “grade” in horses. With common seed, you may be getting a great variety, or you might be getting something that didn't perform well or is mixed up with other seed. Common seed is often cheaper, but like buying horses, you get what you pay for. For this reason, we suggest only purchasing certified seed of a known variety and one adapted to your area and use.

Many universities, including UK, perform side-by-side comparisons of varieties to measure yield and persistence. In fact, UK has one of the largest forage variety testing programs in the country. Data from the trials is published annually in a series of reports and a summary report that can be found on the UK Forage Extension website.

In Table 6 of the 2019 Timothy and Kentucky Bluegrass Report, you'll find the forage variety results of a comparison of five Kentucky Bluegrass varieties seeded in the fall of 2017. In this case, Maturity and Percent Stand were quite similar for most varieites. But the yield is where the differences lie, partiularly in the two-year total. Those that have a * after the number were not statistically different than the highest producing variety, in this case, Barderby. So Ginger performed as well as Barderby, but Balin, Park and Tirem did not. If yield is your sole focus, then one of these two would be the best variety for farms in the Lexington area. Keep in mind though this is only one test.

The 2019 Long-Term Summary of Kentucky Forage Varieity Trials combines data from tests from the last 30 years. Table 26 from this report shows the horse grazing tolerance of orchardgrass since 1999. For this table, the key is to look at the mean listed on the far right hand side of the table. Any number over 100 means that variety has performed better than average. The number in parenthesis tells you how many total tests that variety has been in, so give more favor to those with larger numbers because they have performed consistanctly over more time. For orchardgrass in Lexington, Benchmark Plus or Persist did best under horse grazing.

Choosing a proven variety backed by university data will give you confidence that you have choosen the most adapted variety available to your area and use.

Beware of “Horse Pasture Mixes”

Most agronomists will suggest you plant a mixture of grasses, instead of just one species. Quality mixtures are stronger because when weather and management become less favorable for one species, it likely will favor another. For example, Kentucky Bluegrass thrives in the cool, wet spring. But as conditions turn dry, tall fescue will outperform it.

It is tempting to take the easy and often cheaper option of pre-mixed “horse pasture mixes” available at many local farm stores. Before you purchase any of these, be sure to read the seed tag and see exactly what is in that mix. It could be a high quality mix, but there are too many examples that are more of a catchall of leftover seed. These may contain high amounts of timothy, an excellent horse hay but poor pasture grass. Or they may contain common seed or varieties that have not performed well in the area. Many contain high percentages of ryegrasses, which will provide some quick cover, but won't last. The germination percentage may be significantly lower than that of improved varieties as well. Germination percentages of 90% or higher are desired.

Many farm stores will allow you to request a custom mix, often at no additional fee, which allows you to decide what varieties of each species you want, and in what mixture. This is well worth the time and energy. Our suggested horse pasture mix for central Kentucky can be found in Establishing Horse Pastures.

Tall Fescue

This cool season grass requires an added level of consideration. Because naturally occurring tall fescue is often infected with an endophyte toxic to broodmares and cattle, extensive research has gone into developing new, safe varieties of tall fescue. As a result, there are more varieties of tall fescue commercially available than most other grasses, and greater performance differences among them. There is also tremendous misunderstanding surrounding tall fescue varieties, so take the time to learn about each. Tall fescue can be one of three types: Endophyte free, Novel Endophyte infected or Toxic Endophyte infected. For your reference, the endophyte status of each variety is listed in the 2019 Tall Fescue and Bromegrass Report.

First, a bit of background on tall fescue. The endophyte is an internal fungus that was present in the original seed that was sown across most of Kentucky in the 1950s and 60s. This fungus interacts with the host tall fescue plant to produce many unique compounds, some that actually make the plant more drought and insect tolerant. But as the name 'toxic endophyte' suggests, some of these compounds are detrimental to livestock, especially pregnant mares.

Toxic endophyte tall fescue may also be called “KY31,” “KY31+” or wild type tall fescue. As stated previously, this combination of plant and toxic endophyte is problematic for livestock. In general, for horses, late term broodmares are those most impacted and can experience prolonged gestation, foaling difficulties and low milk production when grazing toxic endophyte tall fescue. Early term mares can occasional experience early term pregnancy loss. Generally speaking, stallions, geldings, growing horses and performance horses are not negatively affected by toxic endophyte tall fescue, although some physiological effects have been documented. If you do not have broodmares, you likely can tolerate this type of grass in your pastures. However, if you decide to kill out a pasture completely, go ahead and remove this from your mixture.

Traditional stands of KY31 have survived for decades, even under heavy grazing pressure, because of the presence of the toxic endophyte. However, generic KY31 seed is not monitored by either seed improvement agencies or commercial companies to ensure that the seed in the bag is actually the original KY31 genetics. Tests of generic KY 31 seed lots have found that the actual endophyte level varies considerably, and can be quite low (as low at 30%). Essentially this means that instead of getting the persistent (and toxic) tall fescue, you are actually buying endophyte free tall fescue. For this reason, if you do decide to purchase KY31 for its longevity benefits, be sure it is tested for infection before planting.

Endophyte free tall fescue was once a big deal, providing farm managers with the option to purchase tall fescue that was safe for all classes of livestock. But years later, that positive effect of the endophyte on the plant is painfully evident, as endophyte free stands rarely survive more than four to five years. Endophyte free varieties are safe for grazing, but do not have the longevity and typically will not survive long. For this reason, endophyte free varieties are not recommended.

Novel endophyte tall fescue is really the best of both worlds of persistence and lack of toxicity. This type of tall fescue contains a different endophyte, selected to give added persistence over endophyte free tall fescue but with none of the animal problems of toxic tall fescue. It may also be called a “friendly endophyte or beneficial endophyte.” The endophytes in these products were hand selected and the resulting varieties were rigorously tested for quality and safety to livestock before release. Some of this work has been done at UK, including grazing trials with pregnant mares. Because these products have had extensive research, development and testing, they are not cheap. But, if you are killing out and re-establishing a pasture, Novel endophyte tall fescue is absolutely the way to go and worth the added expense.

To ensure you are purchasing a tested and safe novel endophyte tall fescue, consider only those that have been certified by the Alliance for Grassland Renewal. This organization is a non-profit collaboration of research institutions, seed companies and universities from across the southeastern U.S., including UK. If the seed lot meets its rigorous standards for endophyte purity and viability, it will have an additional seed tag or logo printed on the bag indicating it has been certified by the Alliance. You can learn more about the Alliance and novel tall fescue types on its website and by subscribing to its newsletter.

Summary

Selecting the best varieties for your pastures is a simple way to improve the chances your efforts of pasture renovation are successful for years to come. Just like purchasing proven bloodlines, selecting seed of improved varieties is well worth the investment and highly recommended. For any pasture seeding or renovation, be sure to follow these six steps to increase your chances of seeding success: 1) Apply any needed lime and fertilizer amendments. 2) Use high-quality seed of an improved variety. 3) Plant enough seed at the right time. 4) Use the best seeding method available. 5) Control competition. 6) Allow the immature seedlings to become established before grazing.

The Tenacity Of Buttercup

Kentucky pastures have exploded with the signature yellow buttercup flower. Buttercup is the common name for a group of species from the genus Ranunculus. Buttercups are sometimes classified as short-lived perennials, but often grow as winter annuals.

Four species of buttercups can be found in Kentucky: bulbous buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus), creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), tall buttercup (Ranunculus acris) and small flower buttercup (Ranunculus arbortivus). Each of these species have somewhat similar flower heads but differ in their leaf characteristics. New seeds are produced during the time petals are showy. Waiting until after flowers appear can be too late to implement control tactics. This is one reason buttercups can survive year to year.

Buttercups are more than an unsightly weed. They can also be toxic. Grazing or mowing will release a powerful vesicant, or blistering agent, which causes blistering of the skin, mouth and digestive system on contact. The blistering agent is detoxified rapidly by drying, and thus it is not generally a problem in hay.

Less is known about whether ensiling, or conversion into silage, has a similar detoxification effect. Death of horses due to buttercup is rare. A review of University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory records over the last 13 years found no cases of horse deaths attributable to buttercup ingestion. If other forage is available, grazing horses will usually avoid buttercup because the leaves, flowers and stems have a sharp, acrid taste.

Most buttercup plants emerge from seed during the fall or late winter months. Therefore, pasture management that maintains thick stands and promotes growth of more desirable plants during these months is one of the best methods to help compete against the emergence and growth of this plant. Mowing fields or clipping plants close to the ground in the early spring before buttercup plants can produce flowers may help reduce the amount of new seed produced, but mowing alone will not totally eliminate seed production.

Chemical Options

Herbicides registered for use on grass pastures will effectively control buttercup, including those that include 2,4-D. For optimum results, apply herbicide in the early spring (February-March) before flowers are observed and when buttercup plants are still small and actively growing. For best herbicide activity, wait until daytime air temperatures are greater than 50o F for two or three consecutive days. Consult the herbicide label for further information on grazing restrictions, precautions or other possible limitations.

Applying broadleaf herbicides like 2,4-D will damage clover. However, buttercup is able to germinate and grow because of insufficient ground cover of desirable forage species. In these cases, clover stands are likely not that thick or need rejuvenating.

Management Options

To prevent or inhibit buttercup germination in the fall, manage grass pastures to retain residual heights of three or four inches. Realistically speaking, pastures used for overwintering, or hay feeding will always be overgrazed and therefore will be prime spots for buttercup and other winter weed encroachment. Overseeding these pastures in early spring with forages that establish aggressively (like red clover or ryegrasses) will add some desirable forage species to the spring flush of growth even though they will not eliminate buttercup emerging at the same time. Follow up with an early spring mowing to clip the buttercup and release the desirable species.

Cover up bare ground. Fall applications of nitrogen will produce taller grass (shading the ground) and will stimulate existing grasses to thicken up or tiller out the following spring. Timely mowing in the spring followed by nitrogen application can reduce buttercup seed production and will stimulate spring forage growth that helps shade the lower growing buttercup.

No matter how you go about it, controlling buttercup is not a “once and done” project. Nor will one method work alone. Chemical control alone will leave bare ground unless there is a strategy to replant or fill in that area. However, you can manage pastures to reduce buttercup incidence and improve your pasture productivity at the same time.