Late Frost and Freeze Warnings: What Does This Mean for Greening Pastures?
While many pastures endure an ongoing drought, some areas have been fortunate enough to catch timely rains to boost spring pasture growth. Unfortunately, forecasted frost advisories for this weekend may not be a welcomed event for cattle producers in the Midwest.
According to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, areas in the western half of Nebraska, the Dakotas and much of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana might see temperatures drop below freezing Saturday night through Sunday morning.
What does this mean for new spring pasture growth?
“When conditions are moist, it may reduce the impact of a slight frost since temperatures change more slowly in wetter soil conditions than in dryer soils. The water outside of the plant can reduce freeze injury because the water will freeze before the water inside plant cells freeze,” says Victor Shelton, NRCS agronomist and grazing specialist in a news article.
The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center forecasts a dry overnight during the coldsnap for much of the area.
The effects are compounded as temperatures rise quickly from below freezing levels.
“Warming up slowly after freezing conditions can reduce the effects of the freeze/frost. Abrupt, rapid warming, especially under dry conditions, aggravates frost injury. Then the chance of plant recovery is reduced,” Shelton says.
Temperatures are predicted to reach lows of 20s and 30s in these areas by early Sunday morning.
By end of day Sunday, temperatures may warm to highs in the 60s and 70s for parts of the region.
“Depending on the extent of stunting caused by heavy frosts or freezing, grass plants will feel some stress from this and may move slightly quicker towards reproductive stages. This will be intensified if pastures are also overgrazed. If you maintain adequate residual or stop grazing heights, and have good healthy soil, you probably won’t see much impact,” Shelton explains.
Shelton warns that close grazing on frost-damaged forage, especially early in the season, may reduce total production of the field for the year.
“For the most part, the adage of 'short grass, short roots’ is very accurate. Not only are you potentially reducing production, but you also reduce the plants ability to seek out nutrients deeper in the soil profile and moisture and, most importantly, decreased its resilience,” Shelton says.
Shelton suggests being cautious of overgrazing by providing extra hay to cattle during these times to help with grazing pressure.
