Growing hay on a battlefield - Ask Extension
Sir or madam, I work for the National Park Service. I recently spent time at the new park at Camp Nelson. Before becoming a park, the fields were hay ...
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Growing hay on a battlefield #749239
Asked May 11, 2021, 9:07 AM EDT
Sir or madam, I work for the National Park Service. I recently spent time at the new park at Camp Nelson. Before becoming a park, the fields were hay fields, still are hay fields, as a matter of fact. The plant mix they are using there seems ideally suited to preserving the earthen fortifications remains. It provides full coverage, shows no bares spots or burn outs, allows legibility. We would like to change the mowing regime (mowed very short on the earthworks now) to allow for better interpretation. The grass will grow longer on top of the mounds, mowed more closely around them for contrast. My problem is, being a historian, I know little about growing hay. Is there an optimal height for harvesting? Can it be mowed and kept productively at various heights? I notice clover and alfalfa? in the mix, among other plants. Are there papers that discuss the optimal seed blends for the area and for different soils? Any direction you could provide would be useful. Thank you, David Lowe
Jessamine County Kentucky
Expert Response
David,
Greetings from the Jessamine County Extension Office. My name is Steve Musen. I am the County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources. You can email me at <personal data hidden> or call the Extension Office at<personal data hidden>.
Optimal hay quality is determined by its stage of maturity rather than its height. As grasses and legumes (like alfalfa and clover) go though their seed head production or flowering stage, its quality, in terms of digestible nutrients and protein content for livestock feed declines. The other consideration in hay production is that if the forage is cut very short (i.e. less than 6") it will not produce enough biomass for profitable hay production. Therefore there is an optimum balance between tall enough for adequate tonnage and early enough to ensure adequate hay quality.
To your question about cutting hay or mowing different areas based on helping visitors visualize different areas of historical significance, I would suggest that you communicate your ideas with your farm manager, with the understanding that hay quality and/or quantity may be negatively impacted.
In terms for forage species, based on my previous visits to Camp Nelson, the current mix of Kentucky-31 Fescue grass and Red Clover that is currently in place, is ideal. This mix should provide a good forage cover with little maintenance other than occasional application of ag. limestone and fertilizer based on soil test recommendations. We are currently offering soil testing as a free service, so if you are interested in having that done, let me know.
Let me know if you have any more questions or if you would like to schedule a time when we could meet at Camp Nelson.
Thanks!
Steve Musen
Greetings from the Jessamine County Extension Office. My name is Steve Musen. I am the County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources. You can email me at <personal data hidden> or call the Extension Office at<personal data hidden>.
Optimal hay quality is determined by its stage of maturity rather than its height. As grasses and legumes (like alfalfa and clover) go though their seed head production or flowering stage, its quality, in terms of digestible nutrients and protein content for livestock feed declines. The other consideration in hay production is that if the forage is cut very short (i.e. less than 6") it will not produce enough biomass for profitable hay production. Therefore there is an optimum balance between tall enough for adequate tonnage and early enough to ensure adequate hay quality.
To your question about cutting hay or mowing different areas based on helping visitors visualize different areas of historical significance, I would suggest that you communicate your ideas with your farm manager, with the understanding that hay quality and/or quantity may be negatively impacted.
In terms for forage species, based on my previous visits to Camp Nelson, the current mix of Kentucky-31 Fescue grass and Red Clover that is currently in place, is ideal. This mix should provide a good forage cover with little maintenance other than occasional application of ag. limestone and fertilizer based on soil test recommendations. We are currently offering soil testing as a free service, so if you are interested in having that done, let me know.
Let me know if you have any more questions or if you would like to schedule a time when we could meet at Camp Nelson.
Thanks!
Steve Musen
Steve, thanks for your informative response. My home base is Washington DC but I have worked at battlefield parks most everywhere. Camp Nelson is a new park and wants to do the right thing by its resources and its visitors. I am going to recommend that the park superintendent and chief of resources there contact you soon and arrange for a visit. They (we) can learn a lot from an informed consultation. I would love to attend a walk-through if they will cut me loose to do it. Otherwise, it will be Superintendent Earnie Price, Ranger Steve Phan, and their maintenance crew.
Civil War earthworks are an important cultural resource in the National Parks but there has never been any agreement within the park service about how to manage and care for them. I was impressed by the lush pasture at Camp Nelson and noted the seemingly total protection the combination of plants provided to the earthwork fabric. The best-preserved earthworks in the park system have been found in forest cover, protected by the leaf litter (largely protected by benign neglect). Elsewhere, a range of grasses and mowing and bush-hogging, and controlled burns, and etc. have been tried with mediocre (in my opinion) success. I work a lot with Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia. About ten years ago, the trees were removed from a whole series of nearly pristine forts and replaced with a grass cover for a variety of reasons, mostly safety and interpretation. The replacement grass (a long stem fescue) was hydro-seeded, tended for a while, then left to fend for itself. The current cover is basically a monoculture that is mown a few times a year. There has been mixed success. Mostly it is okay, but bare spots develop on the steep slopes, southern facing mounds burn out during the summer, some sheet erosion going into the ditches, lots of smaller issues that add up, which means that spots of bare earth continue to erode in places and we lose more Civil War material all the time. The grass is interspersed often with broom sedge. I enclose a few examples of the Petersburg forts.
Long story short. After visiting Camp Nelson it donned on me that we should be striving for something like a pasture mix on the earthworks here. We will be contacting our local ag extension agent to pay us a visit soon. Thanks for your response, and I would appreciate any thoughts or insights you might offer. David Lowe
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2021 9:13 AM
To: Lowe, David <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Growing hay on a battlefield (#0019170)
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2021 9:13 AM
To: Lowe, David <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Growing hay on a battlefield (#0019170)
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David,
Thanks for the additional pictures. I can understand how the erosion seen on these historically significant earthworks is concerning. Just a couple of quick thoughts. You mentioned the presence of broomsedge on some of the locations. This species is usually an indicator of low soil pH and/or a lack of proper soil nutrients. Most Extension Office offer soil testing at a minimal or no cost. You may need to add ag. lime and/or fertilizer to those areas to ensure proper forage growth. In terms of a good forage mix for these highly erodible areas, you may consider a mix of KY-31 Fescue and Perennial Lespedeza (Sericea). Perennial Lespedeza is an erect-growing, warm-season, perennial legume that grows 18 to 40 inches tall. It is deep rooted and tolerant of drought, soil acidity, and low
fertility.
Thanks for the additional pictures. I can understand how the erosion seen on these historically significant earthworks is concerning. Just a couple of quick thoughts. You mentioned the presence of broomsedge on some of the locations. This species is usually an indicator of low soil pH and/or a lack of proper soil nutrients. Most Extension Office offer soil testing at a minimal or no cost. You may need to add ag. lime and/or fertilizer to those areas to ensure proper forage growth. In terms of a good forage mix for these highly erodible areas, you may consider a mix of KY-31 Fescue and Perennial Lespedeza (Sericea). Perennial Lespedeza is an erect-growing, warm-season, perennial legume that grows 18 to 40 inches tall. It is deep rooted and tolerant of drought, soil acidity, and low
fertility.
Steve, thanks so much. Very useful information. We are scheduling an appointment with the ag agent for Petersburg area and I will certainly bring up your suggestion. I am sure Camp Nelson will be in touch with you soon. Thanks again.
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2021 10:54 AM
To: Lowe, David <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Growing hay on a battlefield (#0019170)
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2021 10:54 AM
To: Lowe, David <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Growing hay on a battlefield (#0019170)
This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding. |
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