With its mild climate and abundant rural land, Alabama is well suited to the production of forage crops. In 2009 about 1.2 million acres were devoted to winter grazing or hay production and 1.9 million acres were in improved pastureland. The total value of production was $147,840,000.

Forage production research is being conducted at Alabama Agriculture Experiment Station centers and units throughout Alabama. At the Black Belt Research and Extension Center scientists are investigating the effect of winter grazing systems as well as the productivity, use and nutritive quality of dallisgrass

Several forage and grazing studies are taking place at the E.V. Smith Research Center in central Alabama, including a forage grazing study at the Beef Unit, which has a large grazing paddock in excess of 150 acres; the largest winter annual grazing study in the U.S. at the Farm Services Unit; and a forage breeding study at the Plant Breeding Unit.

Scientists at the Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center are conducting grazing and cutting studies, looking at new varieties of tall fescue, annual ryegrass and legumes to determine the yield, palatability and persistence of the varieties for Northeast Alabama.

Researchers at the Upper Coastal Plain Agricultural Research Center are evaluating planting dates and varietal differences of cool season grasses as well as the effects of green June beetle larva on the persistence of fescue pastures.

Grass-fed beef research utilizing multiple forage species is being conducted at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center in Headland, while propagation and nutritional needs of forage grasses are being studied at the Plant Science Research Center on the Auburn University campus.

More About Our Research

Influence of Stocking Rate and Density on the Nutritional Quality of Dallisgrass
Research results at the BBREC indicate that intensive rotational grazing of dallisgrass has potential for increasing forage productivity while maintaining nutritive quality compared with continuous grazing. The increased forage production resulting from rotational grazing offers potential for increasing stocking rate and beef production from intensively managed pastures. Read more.

Publications

• Performance of Ryegrass Varieties in Alabama, 2010-2011 (EVSRC-PBU, GCREC, SMREC, WREC)