Hurricane Helene devastated pastures and hayfields across Yancey County, creating the need to restore and re-plant many fields. During the recommended spring seeding window, most forage and livestock producers were not ready to plant their fields due to massive amounts of debris that had to be removed, and many fields that were damaged by floodwaters needed to be re-worked. For those farmers that were not able to plant permanent forages in the spring, make sure to be prepared for the fall seeding window.

In the Mountains of Western North Carolina, including Yancey County, the recommended planting window for many permanent cool-season pasture and hayfield grasses is July 25 thru August 10th. It is possible to seed forage July 10th thru August 20th here in the Mountains. This recommended time frame for seeding applies to orchardgrass, fescue, perennial ryegrass and other commonly used perennial cool-season grasses. With the seeding window rapidly approaching, it is important for farmers to start making preparations if they are planning to seed this fall. Here are a few steps that can be taken to prepare for fall seeding of pastures and hayfields that were damaged during Hurricane Helene.

1. Soil Test! Soil Test! Soil Test- Soil testing is one of the best practices to successfully establish forage crops. Making sure that the pH is good, and ensuring proper soil nutrient levels prior to seeding is usually necessary for successfully planting forage crops, but even more important now for fields that were impacted by Hurricane Helene. It is currently taking about 2 weeks for soil samples to be processed at the NCDA Soil Testing Lab so make sure to take samples as soon as possible to make sure soil test results come back in time to be useful. Soil testing supplies are available at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Yancey County Center.
2. Properly prepare fields for seeding. It is important to have a clean fields free of weeds and debris, but it also important establish a firm seed bed when seeding forages. A properly prepared seedbed will ensure good seed to soil contact, and keep seeds from being planted too deeply in the soil. Planting too deeply is one of the most common mistakes that farmers make when trying to establish forage crops which hinders successful stand establishment. Preparing seedbeds properly may require more tillage than normal when restoring fields that were flooded during Hurricane Helene.
3. Go ahead and obtain seed so that you already have it on hand. Take advantage of the N.C. Cooperative Extension of Yancey County Pasture and Hayfield Restoration Program. We have funding to purchase improved forage seed varieties. You don’t have to settle for the “brown bag” orchardgrass, or traditional KY 31 Tall Fescue seed. However, we can purchase that for you also if that is what you want. There are other, improved forage varieties that are probably better for the future of local hay or livestock operations. These might include novel endophyte varieties of tall fescue, improved orchardgrass varieties, or even improved perennial ryegrass varieties. Let us help you determine the best performing varieties to plant based upon university variety test reports.
4. Coordinate your forage seeding dates with Extension. We are working on gaining access to a No-till Forage Drill. It is our hope to make the drill available to Yancey County farmers throughout the fall seeding window. The cost of renting the drill will be covered by the Pasture and Hayfield Restoration Program. In addition, through funding provided through the Community Foundations for Western North Carolina, N.C. Cooperative Extension of Yancey County was about to purchase an agricultural drone. By coordinating seeding efforts with us, this drone can be used in the coming months or in the spring to over-seed pastures and hayfields with clover. Again, the clover seed will also be provided through the Yancey County Pasture and Hayfield Restoration Program.
5. Consider setting aside small fields or areas to plant annual forages for grazing. Incorporating annual forages can assist in increasing the opportunities that you have available for grazing on your farm. Annual crops such as cereal rye, winter wheat, or annual ryegrass can be planted for spring or early summer grazing. Summer warm-season annual crops like sorghum x sudan, pearl millet, or forage crabgrass can be used to provide grazing when cool-season pastures are not as productive in the mid-late summer months. Cereal rye, forage turnips, and annual ryegrass can be planted to provide fall grazing. All of these annual forages can be planted in sacrifice pasture areas, or heavy winter feeding areas also. All efforts to increase grazing should increase profitability of livestock operations by minimizing the amount of stored feeds such as hay or grain that is needed.

If you would like to discuss the details of restoring your pastures or hayfields that were damaged by Hurricane Helene, or further discuss fall forage seeding practices, please feel free to contact David Davis (david_davis@ncsu.edu) at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Yancey County Center by calling (828) 682-6186.

Additional Resources:

• Planting Guide for Forage Crops in North Carolina 
• Online Tool Based on Planting Guide for Forage Crops in North Carolina
• Kentucky Forage Variety Trials
• Tennessee Forage Variety Trials