Continual Pasture Improvement

/ Verdant Hills Farm/

I’m always on a quest for a more perfect pasture. I strive for pastures that 1) nourish our cattle on pasture with high quality and diverse forage throughout the season; and 2) thrive on organic inputs while improving soil health.

I’ve tried different planting techniques to crowd out weeds without using chemicals. I have attained 80% control but not enough to allow a transition to a preferred perennial grass.

I’m so grateful to Jerry Hall from Grassland Oregon and Serkan Ates from Oregon State University for their expert advice and steady guidance. Jerry and Serkan are both wickedly smart, creative, and passionate...the best combination of private industry and university research. I’m so thankful for their help.

Thanks to Jerry and Serkan, this year’s planting plan is festulolium for a short lived perennial that is aggressive enough at germination in the beginning to compete with weeds during establishment and will have staying power through the summer to continue competing with the weeds. They also advised me to plant white clover and red clover to provide higher protein for the cattle and to fix nitrogen from the air to complement the festulolium.

Here are some initial results…..

No-Till planting into existing chicory and boston plantain at 7 days after planting

12 Days after planting with grass and clover seedlings

30 Days after planting

30 Days after planting