Forages
Mississippi livestock producers are fortunate in being able to grow a large number of forage crops. These include both warm and cool season species of legumes and grasses. Both perennial and annual forages are common.
Warm season perennial grasses include bermudagrass and bahiagrass. Sorghum-sudangrass hybrids and pearl millets are summer annual grasses. Annual ryegrass and the small grains (oats, wheat, rye) are common winter annual grasses. Perennial, cool season tall fescue is grown extensively in the prairie sections and in north Mississippi. Warm season perennial legumes include alfalfa and sericea lespedeza.
Annual lespedeza and alyce clover are warm season annual legumes. White and red clovers are perennial cool season legumes. A large number of cool season annual legumes include crimson, ball, berseem, and arrowleaf clovers. Vetch and wild winter peas are also cool season annual legumes.
By using a combination of these forages for both grazing and hay, many Mississippi livestock producers are able to grow their needed feed with very few outside purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I grow all the feed needed for my cattle?
- Should I grow both pasture and hay?
- What is the best hay grass that I can grow?
- Can I grow alfalfa in Mississippi?
- Where can I get more information on forages?
Hay Directories
- Mississippi Hay Directory
- Mississippi Market Bulletin
- Internet Hay Exchange
- Alabama Hay Listing
- Missouri Hay Directory
- Tennessee Hay Directory
Other Forage Information
- 2010 Pasture and Forage Short Course
- MSU Forage Variety Trials
- Fall Army Worms in Hay Fields and Pastures
- Weeds in forages
- Other Extension Livestock Information
- Hay Directory Listings | Hay Directory Submission Form
- MSU Forage/Livestock Support Group
- Equine Interest Groups
Resources
Publications
News
Lawns, pastures and even winter food plots are at risk as an insect army advances across much of the state in higher than normal numbers. Blake Layton, entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said fall armyworms are the most damaging insect pests of bermudagrass hayfields and pastures
PINEY WOODS, Miss. -- Farmers preparing for the growing season will benefit from a wide variety of topics at the Alliance of Sustainable Farms field day March 29.
Subjects include spring preparations for grazing, growing quality hay, cover crops, and native plants and pollinators. Participants will also learn how to calibrate a no-till drill.
Every year, lawns and pastures become targets for late-summer grass-eating caterpillars, making it important to watch for the usual suspects and some culprits that are less common.
Cotton and corn acreage in Mississippi are more than 30% below March projections, while growers of soybeans and peanuts planted much more than initially forecasted.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Weather always plays a role in the spring planting decisions of Mississippi row-crop producers, but the market impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is another variable they will have to consider in 2020.
