Renovation and Management Effects on Pasture Productivity Under Rotational Grazing

Renovating permanent pasture to replace existing cool-season perennial grasses with improved varieties has potential risk and reward. Improved grasses may increase long-term productivity, but these increases should offset costs associated with replacing an existing stand. We eliminated existing perennial grass stands with tillage and herbicides and sowed a mixture of improved orchardgrass and meadow fescue in 2006 on five Wisconsin farms that used a range of rotational grazing systems. Paddocks were also subject to either typical producer management or recommended agronomic management. Despite considerable farm-to-farm variation, annual forage yield of improved varieties was greater than that of existing grasses the next two years. The yield advantage of improved varieties was greater when managed according to recommended agronomic practices in 2007, but management had no effect in 2008. Forage nutritive value was not influenced by grasses or management at any time during the growing season. Our results suggest that renovation with improved grasses increases pasture productivity, but producers should also consider their management and pasture production goals before renovating.