Managing Pastures During Drought Stress

As the heat and dry conditions continue in southern Wisconsin, producers with animals on pasture are considering their options as pasture quality and forage production declines.  The combination of high temperatures and moisture stress have placed our perennial pasture grasses and legumes into dormancy mode and little if any regrowth is occurring as plants try to conserve […]

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Toxic Plants in Drought Stressed Pastures

Many pastures in southern Wisconsin are severely stressed from the current drought.  When pasture forages are in short supply,  livestock may eat plants they typically avoid, and cases of livestock poisoning may occur.    Plant poisoning is a function of both concentration of the toxin in the plant and the amount of plant material an animal eats.  Some plants […]

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Blue Green Algae in Wisconsin Ponds: Reduce Potential for Livestock Toxicity

 As summer health warnings come out cautioning recreationists about algal blooms on area lakes, Wisconsin farmers may want to prevent access to ponds to decrease the potential for livestock toxicity from cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.  Blue green algae are naturally occurring in many ponds during the summer months, and hot, dry conditions seem to […]

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Ohio State: 2012 Pastures for Profit Grazing School Videos Available

Video recordings of the Ohio State Pastures for Profit Grazing School are available for download from the Ohio State University Extension Forage Team. The 30 to 45 minute presentations were recorded live in mp4 format during a Pastures for Profit grazing school offered in April of 2012 and cover a variety of topics.

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