Cut Feed Costs by Improving Pastures: Weed Control and Soil Fertility Strategies

On this episode of the Casual Cattle Conversations Podcast, Shaye interviews Corteva forage specialist, Sam Ingram, about prioritizing pastures and hay land to maximize forage production and improve cattle margins by lowering feed costs through grazing. Ingram explains how fertility, weed control, and grazing rest increase tonnage, forage quality, and carrying capacity, emphasizing soil testing and sticking to a consistent testing time to guide nutrient plans.   He discusses the value of legumes like white clover and annual lespedeza for quality and nitrogen fixation and introduces Corteva’s NovaGraz, a non-residual broadleaf herbicide that controls weeds such as biennial thistles, ironweed, buttercup, plantains, wild carrot family species, poison hemlock, and parsnip while maintaining key legumes, offering flexibility for hay sales and crop rotation. He also describes UltiGraz, which combines herbicide and fertilizer in one pass for efficiency. The conversation addresses drought and wildfire impacts, stressing post-disaster planning, avoiding grazing too soon, and using sacrifice areas and stored feed to protect forage cover. Learn more about Corteva Pasture Products here: https://www.corteva.com/us/products-and-solutions/pasture-management/product-finder.html  Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/  Other Links and Resources  Learn more about CattleScales here: https://bit.ly/4dqqTtr Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS Learn more about Performance Livestock Analytics here: https://bit.ly/47PxY3W  00:00 Pasture Profit Boost  00:16 Meet The Forage Expert  01:10 Why Prioritize Pastures  03:56 Fertility And Grazing Basics  04:49 Weed Control Matters  06:26 Legumes And NovaGraz  09:02 Target Weeds And Application  11:36 Hay Fields And Residue  15:16 Soil Testing Fertility Plan  18:08 Weed Control Plus Fertility  21:19 Drought And Recovery Planning  25:24 Key Takeaways And Wrap Up