Cattle grazing is limited by compacted or crusted snow, but horses and sheep are adept at pawing through heavy snow or crust to reach the grass underneath. When you allow animals to graze in deep snow, it is important to keep an eye on body condition to ensure that they are obtaining enough feed. The length of the snow-free wintering season varies with elevation. Among the perennials, the legumes are the most damaged by hard frosts and need to be grazed before frost damage and weathering cause excessive dry matter and quality loss. If planning to graze alfalfa after frost, keep in mind that bloat is likely to be a problem on recently frosted alfalfa.
Perennial grasses differ in their tolerance to freezing and weather damage.
Tall fescue is the best grass species to use for late fall and winter grazing. In the late fall, stockpiled tall fescue can be leafy, palatable, and high in protein, sugars, and digestible energy. Livestock producers have mixed feelings about tall fescue due to poor animal performance on this forage during the summer. With the exception of lactating dairy animals and pregnant mares, there is seldom a problem when tall fescue is used as part of a system containing other forages. Other perennial forage species have growth response and forage quality similar to tall fescue until they are killed by frost and undergo weather damage caused by rain and snow.