This year, for us in southeastern Ohio, April is when we went from being more towards the dry side to going towards the wet side for weather.
I would say that is what it seemed to be like for the whole southeastern part of the state that was affected by the drought last year, and the effects of that drought lasted up into April and some past that.
In April, we had a lot of questions about how the forages would respond to coming out of the drought. It sometimes amaze me how the weather can be so different from one year to the next.
At this point last year, we asked when are we going to get rain. Now, a lot of us are asking when are we going to get a dry stretch to make hay.
Consider the fields that you wanted to do something with this spring but were unable to do so, or you wanted to see how they came out of the drought, since we started to get rain. Ask yourself, how are those fields producing now?
The reason that I ask this question is that in Ohio, we really only have two times of the year when we can seed pastures or hay fields with our typical cool-season grasses — those two times being April and August, and August is almost upon us.
Fix it up
So, if you are not liking how a pasture or hay field has produced this year, maybe you can plan to fix it up so it can do better for you and your farm. As my dad has told me many of times, you can’t make a plan unless you talk about it. And if you are going to redo a pasture or hay field, it is going to take some planning before you go out there and seed a field into a new forage crop.
If you are planning on redoing a field, the first thing to decide is whether you are going to completely renovate the field or interseed into the existing stand of the field. If there are decent parts of the field that are good, you could go with the interseeding option; just make sure you have a handle on the weed pressure in those bad areas, so they do not suffocate out the new plants when they emerge from the soil.
For me, the next step of the plan is where are you going to get a seeder. If you have one that is a different story, but most people that I know do not have their own seeder on hand. Also, is the seeder available when you want to use it?
If you are not sure where to start looking to rent a seeder, I would start with your local soil and water office, as ones that I know have a seeder that can be used to plant pastures or hay fields.
Species selection
The next part of your plan is to work on a step-by-step species selection. So, what are the steps?
1. Pick your dominant grass.
2. Pick cool-season companion grasses.
3. Pick the legumes.
4. Consider minor species.
5. Choose seeding rates.
6. Select improved varieties.
Using these steps, you can formulate a plan that is best for you and for the use of this new seeding. Certain grasses can work better together, and others do better in certain areas that you may have as well. If you are uncertain or would like another person’s opinion, you can reach out to your local extension office for advice.
Watch the weather
The last thing I want to mention is to watch your weather forecast. I know that it may seem like a hard thing to think about right now, but you do want to make sure that the new seeding does get some moisture so maybe try and aim to plant before a rain, so that new stand that you plant can get established and grow some before the winter, so it can make it through the winter.
Hay testing
I want to put out a late reminder to everyone that, with the wet weather thus far in 2025, OSU Extension is offering reduced-cost hay analysis. Mature, late-made hay is lower in energy, protein and digestibility, often requiring additional supplementation.
This reduced-cost testing is provided by the OSU Extension eBarns program and Small Ruminant Research lab. For more information, contact your local OSU Extension Office. The deadline for reduced-cost hay analysis is July 31. Cost is $15 for the first sample and $20 for each additional sample.
