USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Riley and Jimmie Kammerer of Meade County, SD, have begun experimenting with an 11-species, season-long cover crop mixture on worn-out hayfields to prolong their grazing season and increase soil health.
According to the NRCS, six old hay fields totaling 285 acres were seeded with the cover crop mixture on May 29, 2022. On Aug. 16, 2022, NRCS personnel clipped an average of 6,500 pounds of forage production across all cover crop fields versus an average of 1,100 lbs. of hay production in adjacent hayfields.
A second clipping was done on Oct. 20, 2022, before grazing, and averaged 4,900 lbs./acre due to plant maturation, insects, and wildlife. Grazing began on Dec. 17, 2022, with 250 head using a rotational grazing system with a 60-70% utilization rate.
The Kammerers will continue this system on other hayfields upon completion of the study, which ends on March 31, 2024. For technical advice and planning, contact your local NRCS Service Center at www.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/find-a-service-center.
