Forage-based livestock production systems are one of the largest economic drivers for agriculture in the southern USA. There is a strong reliance on forages as the primary feed source due to favorable climatic conditions and wide range of adapted species. Increasing population growth and urbanization has exacerbated the need to enhance productivity per land through improved management strategies of forage systems. An increase in the number of beginning farmers seeking forage-based livestock systems management information has exacerbated educators to improve educational resources available to reach a wide spectrum of Extension clientele. Resources created by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) include a new online course, Forage Basics, which was released in September 2021 to provide a broad overview of concepts as forages, soils, weed and insect management in the Southeast region. A sister resource, the Alabama Forages Handbook, was also developed and provides more detailed information on similar topics. This printed resource will serve as a reference guide and curriculum base resource for Extension educators in the Alabama to hold associated trainings. A one-day in-service training was conducted with county and regional extension agents in Alabama to evaluate perceptions of these resources and potential use in Extension programming. There was a 55 % response rate (n = 20 respondents). Using a Likert scale, most respondents indicated that they are very likely to integrate both the coursework (55%) and the handbook (64%) into their programming activities in the next year, and that they often refer to the ACES resources to support their program. Suggested topics for resources included forage system for other animal categories and expansion of some of the forages topics. This information will support upcoming efforts to develop new resources statewide and expand the content for associated trainings to the handbook.

Stockpiling forage is a management practice that can be used to decrease the cost of winter cow supplementation and is defined as the process of accumulating forage late in a growing season for grazing at a later date. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of bahiagrass as a potential stockpiled forage in lower Alabama by developing a better understanding of its forage accumulation, nutritive value and persistent characteristics during the stockpiling period (6 to 10 weeks). A small-plot stockpiling trial was conducted at three locations in south Alabama (Troy, Headland, and Goodway). Nine, 6.5 m x 2.0 m plots were cut to a 7.5 cm stubble height with a buffer of 0.9 m between plots at each location beginning on September 16, 2021. Nitrogen fertilization strategy was the main plot [0 N fertilizer, split N application (33.6 kg N/ha at initiation and again 30 d later), or 67.2 kg N/ha; 3 replications/treatment; N source = urea (46-0-0)]. Stockpiling period length was the split-plot (6, 8 or 10 weeks of forage accumulation; n = 9 subplots/treatment). Response variables were measured including forage mass and nutritive value at 6, 8 and 10 weeks, and nutritive value of standing forage 30 days after the stockpiling period. Data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS 9.3. As the accumulation period length increased, average forage mass increased across all treatments with 1,312.6 kg DM/ha at 6 weeks, 1,270.1 kg DM/ha at 8 weeks and 1,585.9 kg DM/ha at 10 weeks. With respect to the fertilization treatments, the split N application (1,621.8 kg DM/ha) and 67.2 kg N/ha fertilization strategies (1,606.1 kg DM/ha) did not differ in forage accumulation but were greater (P < 0.05) than bahiagrass not receiving N fertilizer (1,377.6 kg DM/ha). For nutritive value, nitrogen application strategy impacted bahiagrass crude protein (CP), with both the split N application (14%) and 67.2 kg N/ha (13.8%) treatments having a greater CP (P < 0.05) than the 0 N fertilization approach (11.7%). Average total digestible nutrients across stockpiling periods were 62.5%. Year one results study indicate that bahiagrass may support forage production and nutritive value for cow-calf operations wanting to extend grazing into the fall and early winter months in the Southeast US. Based on year one results for forage mass measured at 6, 8 and 10 weeks, stockpiled bahiagrass could provide an estimated 45 to 55 days of grazing depending on mature cow weight, pasture stocking strategy and accumulation period length.

Warm-season perennial pastures are the base of livestock production systems in lower Alabama. To overcome the shortage in forage production during the late fall and winter months, during bahiagrass dormancy, overseeding pastures with cool-season annuals can be used as an option for providing forage during this period. Diverse forage mixtures of multiple species and functional groups have gained popularity in use among forage-livestock producers, but few evaluations have been conducted in overseeded sods. The objective of the study was to evaluate forage mass and nutritive value of cool-season forage mixtures overseeded into bahiagrass pastures. Six, 0.40-ha paddocks of ‘Pensacola’ bahiagrass were overseeded with one of three cool-season forage mixtures (n = 2 paddocks/treatment) on November2, 2021: 1) oat (Avena sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and balansa (Trifolium michelianum), red (Trifolium pratense), and white clover (Trifolium repens; ‘clovers’); 2) oat, cereal rye (Secale cereale), and clovers; and 3) cereal rye, annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), and clovers. When forage mixtures reached a target grazing height of 20 cm, paddocks were managed using flash mob stocking with beef cow-calf pairs to graze to a target height of0 cm. Herbage mass, nutritive value, botanical composition and height samples were collected pre- and post-grazing events. There was no treatment (P = 0.240) or treatment × harvest (P = 0.4239) effect on forage mass. Harvest date affected (P = 0.029) forage mass, with greater forage mass at late harvest (1,903.33 kg DM·ha-1) than at early (1,253.33 kg DM·ha-1) in the growing season. There were no treatment effects observed for species components (P > 0.05), although grasses dominated the forage mixtures with an average of 80% grass presence. Legume establishment was poor (less than%) and the remaining species composition consisted of weed species (19%). There was a treatment effect (P = 0.003) on CP, where oat-rye-clovers had the greatest CP and rye-ryegrass-clover had the least CP. Oat-wheat-clover mixtures had greater TDN (79.2%), less NDF (39.8%), and ADF (18.7%) than cereal rye-ryegrass-clover (75.4%, 46.1%, and 22.2% for TDN, NDF, and ADF, respectively), but did not differ from oat-cereal rye-clover mixtures (76.6%, 45.7%, 21.0% for TDN, NDF, and ADF, respectively). In year of this study, overseeding bahiagrass supported forage production over a 2-month period and can be a management tool used to reduce the need for supplementing in the dormancy periods of warm season perennial grasses.

Adequate pasture management can decrease costs related to supplemental feed in horse operations. However, the purpose of the horse operation may influence the level of pasture management applied. An online survey was conducted from 2018 to 2020 to evaluate if pasture management strategies used on Florida horse farms are associated with the purpose of the operation. This survey also provided inputs as needs assessment for educational programs in Florida and the Southeast United States. Survey data (n = 79 respondents) were submitted to descriptive analysis and Fisher’s exact test. Significantly associated variables were also evaluated using multiple correspondence analysis. The primary function of the operation most reported was recreational (62%), followed by training (15%), boarding (8%), breeding (6%), and other (5%). Horses were turned out onto pasture full time (24 h/d) in 57% of operations. The purpose of the operation tended to be associated with turnout practices (P = 0.08). Multiple correspondence analysis revealed that boarding- and recreational-purpose operations tended to turn horses out full time or most of the day (12 h/d), while training facilities tended to turn horses out during the night or for a short duration (~4 h/d) during the day. As for level of pasture management, pasture establishment but no maintenance was implemented by 3% of the respondents, 9% implemented pasture establishment and maintenance, 82% performed maintenance only, and 6% did not implement any pasture management. Concerning types of pasture management, pastures were overseeded by 34% of the operations, fertilized by 57%, and continuously stocked by 52%. The purpose of the operation was not associated (P > 0.05) with the level or type of pasture management strategy. Results demonstrate that pasture management practices were implemented similarly among Florida horse operations regardless of their purpose. These results illustrate an educational need to provide information and resources for horse owners aiming to improve the adoption of best pasture management strategies and decrease feeding costs.