Season-long grazing is best achieved using a combination of permanent and cropland pastures. These grasses produce more forage in the spring than in mid-summer. This uneven production does not meet the nutritional needs of most livestock. One solution lies in diversifying forages in pastures. Diversification can help graziers get uniform yields of quality forage throughout the season.
Perennial legumes can improve seasonal forage production.
However, their coverage of CRP fields that were planted to cool season grasses or grass-legume mixtures is only 23 percent. Graziers should consider introducing perennial legumes like birdsfoot trefoil, alfalfa, or kura clover into these fields. To avoid legume bloat in livestock, legumes should be mixed with perennial grasses. Graziers should consider whole-farm pasture systems that include both permanent pastures on former CRP land and cropland pastures. Many CRP lands are highly erodable.