However, one of the main advantages of grazing is letting the cows do the harvesting and the manure spreading. Developing strategies now for stockpiling pasture means less mechanical harvesting, less work, and less hay feeding. Planning to stockpile about one ton of forage per acre is a good goal. This requires taking a final grazing or hay cutting in July of early August or about 60 to 80 growing days. Application of 30 to 40 pounds of nitrogen to grass pastures in July will greatly increase late season pasture tonnage.
Dry weather is the biggest risk to achieving the one ton goal.
Research at Iowa State University, funded by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, indicated that grazing stockpiled forage at an allowance of 2 acres per cow reduced the amount of hay needed to maintain pregnant beef cows by 1.25 tons per cow when compared with cows maintained in a drylot. This is a good goal, but any amount of stockpiled forage reduces more expensive hay feeding. Any grass or legume species can be used for stockpiling. The plant characteristics to evaluate when considering species most suitable to stockpiling include standability, Leaf loss and nutrient loss. Grasses work best for the latest grazing, especially those with leaves that tend to be more upright such as bromegrass and tall fescue.