Ed Rayburn, Forages/Agronomy Specialist and Professor.
After a nearly yearlong battle with unusually wet weather in West Virginia, farmers around the state are now dealing with another troublesome consequence – mud. Once cattle have been turned out to pasture this spring, WVU Extension Service expert Ed Rayburn recommends farmers reseed muddy terrain as quickly as possible. He’s provided some simple suggestions to help our state’s farmers combat the mud and keep their soil as healthy as possible.
Ed
Rayburn
Forages/Agronomy Specialist and Professor
WVU Extension
Service
304.293.2654; ERayburn@wvu.edu
Ed Rayburn audio file: Winter feeding areas“Winter feeding areas need to be revegetated as soon as possible to prevent soil erosion and loss of soil fertility, to provide forage production in the coming summer, to reduce soil compaction and to improve soil health for future forage production.”
Ed
Rayburn audio file: Make plans to reduce mud problems
“Make plans to reduce mud problems in the future. The best option is to
stockpile tall fescue areas for winter grazing. This reduces the number of days
of hay feeding. Another option is to strip graze round bales set out on dry or
frozen ground in December. This is a good way for reducing tractor damage to
pastures and other winter feeding areas. When properly managed, cattle do much
less damage than tractors. It is recommended that winter feeding areas be
rotated around the farm to cycle plant nutrients and reduce the need for
purchased fertilizer.” —Ed Rayburn, WVU
Extension Service
Additional Resources:
Read more from WVU Extension Service about recovering from mud
West Virginia University experts can provide commentary, insights and opinions on various news topics. Search for an expert by name, title, area of expertise, or college/school/department in the Experts Database at WVU Today.
-WVU-
am/04/03/19
CONTACT: Ed Rayburn
Forages/Agronomy Specialist and Professor
WVU Extension Service
304.293.8701; Hannah.booth@mail.wvu.edu
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.