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NRCS reviews and periodically updates conservation practice standards. To obtain the current 

version of this standard, contact your Natural Resources Conservation Service State office or 

visit the Field Office Technical Guide online by going to the NRCS website at 

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ and type FOTG in the search field. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Natural Resources Conservation Service 

CONSERVATION PRACTICE STANDARD 

PASTURE AND HAY PLANTING 

CODE 512 

(ac)

DEFINITION 

Establishing adapted and compatible species, varieties, or cultivars of perennial herbaceous plants

suitable for pasture or hay production. 

PURPOSE 

This practice is used to accomplish one or more of the following purposes: 

• Improve or maintain livestock nutrition and health 

• Provide or increase forage supply during periods of low forage production 

• Reduce soil erosion 

• Improve water quality 

• Improve air quality 

• Improve soil health 

CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES 

This practice applies on all lands suitable for the one-time establishment of perennial species for forage

production that will likely persist for 5 years. This practice does not apply to the establishment of annually

planted and mechanically harvested food, fiber, or oilseed crops planted on designated cropland. 

CRITERIA 

General Criteria Applicable to All Purposes 

Select plant species and their cultivars based on— 

• Climatic conditions, such as annual precipitation and its distribution, growing season length,

temperature extremes, and the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones. 

• Soil condition and landscape position attributes such as pH, available water holding capacity,

aspect, slope, drainage class, fertility level, salinity, depth, flooding and ponding, and levels of

phytotoxic elements that may be present. Utilize ecological site description pasture states and

forage suitability groups if available. 

• Intended use, level of management, realistic yield estimates, stage of vegetative growth for

planned harvest, and compatibility with other species. 

• Resistance to disease and insects common to the site or location. 

Follow recommendations for planting rates, methods, and dates obtained from the NRCS Plant Materials

Program, NRCS State guidance, land grant university extension, and applicable published research

documents. 
Calculate seeding rates to be consistent with State and local criteria. 

Plant at a depth appropriate for the seed size or plant material, while assuring uniform contact with soil. 

Implement site preparation and seedbed preparation methods that avoid restricting plant emergence. 

Plant when soil moisture is adequate for germination and establishment. 

Utilize seed and planting materials that will meet State quality standards. 

Do not plant Federal, State, or local noxious species. 

Apply all plant nutrients and soil amendments for establishment purposes according to a current soil test

taken within 3 years of the proposed planting date. Nutrient application rates, methods, and dates are

obtained from the NRCS Plant Materials Program, NRCS State guidance, land grant university extension,

and applicable published research documents. 

When planting legumes, use preinoculated seed, inoculum coated seed, or inoculate with the proper

viable strain of rhizobia immediately before planting. 

Exclude livestock until the plants are well established. Ensure the plants have reached the full start

grazing heights or the recommended hay cutting heights (late elongation phase or later) before the first

grazing or cutting begins. See NRCS CPSs Prescribed Grazing (Code 528) and Forage Harvest

Management (Code 511) for details. There may be conditions and time of the growing season that require

letting the plants reach maturity before any haying or grazing takes place to avoid the risk of killing the

new plants. 

Additional Criteria for Improving or Maintaining Livestock Nutrition and Health 

 Use forage species that will meet the desired level of nutrition (quantity and quality) for the kind and class

of the livestock to be grazed or fed. 

Select species mixtures with similar palatability to avoid selective grazing. 

Select species with low or no toxic effects on grazing livestock. 

Additional Criteria for Improving Water Quality 

Use State and locally recommended species from the NRCS Plant Materials Program, NRCS State

guidance, land grant university and extension, and other reputable scientific sources to support planting

recommendations when using this purpose for filtering runoff. 

Additional Criteria for Improving Air Quality 

Select deep rooted perennial plants that are recommended for sequestering carbon and reducing

greenhouse gases. Use site preparation and planting techniques that minimize airborne particulate matter

generation and transport. 

Additional Criteria for Improving Soil Health 

Minimize soil disturbance by using seedbed preparation and planting techniques, such as chemical burndown and no-till drilling of forages, to protect soil aggregates. Nonchemical seedbed preparation

methods that are low-disturbance can include soil spading, rototilling (set at reduced speeds with faster

forward driving speeds), roller crimping, or timing planting to correspond with natural senescence of the

preceding crop. 

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Planting a perennial with a specific nurse crop can quickly maximize ground cover during the

establishment period. 

Maximize biodiversity by selecting plants from at least two of the four functional groups (cool-season

grass, cool-season broadleaf, warm-season grass, warm-season broadleaf). 

Additional Criteria for Reducing Soil Erosion 

Select plants that provide maximum ground cover for protection of the soil from wind and water erosion. 

CONSIDERATIONS 

In areas where animals congregate, consider establishing persistent species that can tolerate close

grazing and trampling. 

Follow criteria for protecting pasture plants and soil to promote soil health provided in NRCS CPS

Prescribed Grazing (Code 528). This includes selecting appropriate plant species that increase deep

rooting, soil carbon, and plant resiliency. Use native species if practicable. 

Select plants that will help meet livestock forage demand during times that normal forage production is not

adequate. 

For organic and transitioning-to-organic systems, all materials and methods used in the implementation of

this NRCS CPS should comply with the National Organic Program Rules. 

For the wildlife species of concern, select and plant species in a designated manner that will meet their

cover and critical life cycle needs. Where wildlife and pollinator concerns exist, consider plant selection by

using an approved habitat evaluation procedure using native species if at all practicable. For pollinator

needs, consider appropriate pollinator seed mixes for planting. When wildlife habitat is the primary

concern, use NRCS CPS Wildlife Habitat Planting (Code 420) where planting herbaceous plants. 

If planting forage for feedstocks for biofuel, select herbaceous plants that provide adequate kinds and

amounts of plant materials needed for the desired fuel and energy production. 

 Refer to NRCS Conservation Practice Standard (CPS) Nutrient Management (Code 590) for details for

managing nutrients. 

The criteria in NRCS CPS Forage Harvest Management (Code 511), Herbaceous Weed Treatment (Code

315), or Prescribed Grazing (Code 528) can be helpful in establishing and maintaining vigorous pasture

and hay plantings. 

PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS 

Prepare plans and specifications for each site or management unit according to the requirements of this

standard. Record these specifications using the appropriate implementation requirement documents to

provide the information to the land manager. 

Address the following elements in the plan to meet the intended purpose: 

• Field number and acres 

• Species of plants to be established 

• Activities needed to ready the planting area and the establishment procedure to be used 

• Seeding rates and depth of seeds planted 

• Seeding dates 

• Rates, timing, and forms of nutrient application and other soil amendments (if needed) from

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approved soil test analysis results and recommendations 

• Type of legume inoculant to be used (if applicable) 

• Seed analysis (tag) 

• All seed coating details (if applicable) 

• Supplemental water for plant establishment (if applicable) 

• Protection of plantings (if applicable), such as livestock exclusion periods and through use of NRCS

CPSs Forage Harvest Management (Code 511) and Prescribed Grazing (Code 528), as needed. 

• Description of successful establishment and when evaluation of establishment should be completed

(e.g., minimum percent ground or canopy cover, percent stand, and stand density) 

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 

The operation and maintenance plan will include, as a minimum, the following requirements: 

• Inspect and calibrate equipment prior to use 

• Continually monitor equipment during planting to ensure proper rate, distribution, and depth of

planting material is maintained 

• Monitor new plantings for water stress 

• Depending on the severity of drought, water stress may require reducing weeds, early harvest

of any companion crops, irrigating when possible, or replanting failed stands. 

• Monitor new plantings for prolonged wet conditions, which may cause failure of the plant

establishment. 

REFERENCES 

Ball, D.M., C.S. Hoveland, and G.D. Lacefield. 2015. Southern Forages, Fifth Editon. International Plant

Nutrition Institute: Norcross, GA. 

Barnes, R.F., C.J. Nelson, K.J. Moore, and M. Collins. 2007. Forages, The Science of Grassland

Agriculture, Sixth Edition. Iowa State University Press: Ames, IA. 

Collins, M., C.J. Nelson., K.J. Moore, and R.F. Barnes. 2017. Forages, Volume 1: An Introduction to

Grassland Agriculture, Seventh Edition. Wiley-Blackwell: Hoboken, N.J. ISBN: 9781119300649

Cornell University. 2019. “Plants Poisonous to Livestock.” Department of Animal Science. Accessed

August 24, 2020. http://poisonousplants.ansci.cornell.edu/

Skinner, R.H. and C.J. Dell. 2016. Yield and Soil Carbon Sequestration in Grazed Pastures Sown with

Two or Five Forage Species. Crop Science 56:2135-2044. Crop Science Society of America, Madison,

WI.https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2015.11.0711

Smith, R. 2016. “The Value of Coated Seed.” University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and

Environment. Accessed August 24, 2020. https://grazer.ca.uky.edu/content/value-coated-seed

USDA NRCS. 2008. National Range and Pasture Handbook (Title 190). Washington, D.C.

https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/. 

USDA NRCS. n.d. “PLANTS Database.” Accessed August 24, 2020. https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/

USDA NRCS. 2009. Plant Materials Technical Note No. 3 (Title 190). Planting and Managing Switchgrass

as a Biomass Energy Crop. Washington, D.C. https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov. 

USDA NRCS. 2016. National Organic Farming Handbook (Title 190). Washington, D.C. 

https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/

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