Spring forage planning should begin before pastures turn green. Waiting until then is one of the costliest mistakes producers can make.When grass greens up, it feels like winter feeding is ending and the cows are ready to graze. But many important grazing decisions are already set or missed by this point.
Early spring decisions have a big impact on pasture performance for the rest of the year. Overgrazing during the first growth can set forage back for months, even if it doesn’t look like a problem at first. Early spring grass is delicate. Roots are still recovering, energy reserves are low, and regrowth is slow if plants are grazed too much or too often.
This is why good spring forage planning starts weeks before green-up, while pastures still look dormant. This is the time to decide which fields will rest, where to focus grazing, and how to delay turnout to protect early growth.
If you wait until the grass is green, you end up reacting instead of planning. Starting early gives you more choices.
Next, we’ll look at why early spring is a vulnerable time for pastures and share clear strategies to protect your fields and get the most from grazing before green-up.
