Native Warm
Season Grasses
There is an opportunity to see warm season grasses being utilized at McCormick Farm in Raphine on May 22. The Natural Bridge Soil and Water Con s e r va tion District and Virginia Cooperative Extension are sponsoring a field day 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program and lunch are offered free of charge, but registration is required by contacting Jennifer Huffman at (540) 319-6453 or send email to jennifer.huffman@ vaswcd.org Prior to European settlement, open grasslands in North America were occupied by native warm season grasses such as Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), Big Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), Eastern Gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides). They are all characterized by a burst of explosive growth starting in late May and ending by early September. Virginia’s open fields are now dominated by European coolseason species that have a “bimodal” growth curve with significant growth in April and May, a period of slower growth in the summer, and a second but smaller spike of growth in the fall. Both biological types can be productive and useful for grazing and together can provide complimentary benefits that can make farm systems more resilient. The current grazing management research project at McCormick farm in Raphine (Shenandoah Valley Agriculture Research and Extension Center-SVAREC) features cattle grazing in a system that uses fescue/clover paddocks in early spring, grazing paddocks that are a mix of big bluestem, little bluestem, and Indian grass through the summer, and returning to the fescue/clover paddocks for fall grazing and winter stockpiled grazing.
Warm season grasses can potentially benefit wildlife and biodiversity. Once established, these “prairie grasses” are known to develop extensive root systems that enhance water holding capacity and drought tolerance. Careful grazing management and some invasive weed management is important, especially in the first three to five years of establishment, in order for the warm season grass field to realize its full potential.
Planting and establishment can be tricky but years of experimentation, trial, and error have resulted in a better understanding of how to successfully establish warm season grasses. There are Extension and conservation experts that can provide helpful guidance for establishment. Plan to attend the field day May 22 to see how warm season grasses can fit in farm systems in our region.
