Irrigated Pasture at Feedlots
Most feedlot managers would like to have a lush pasture to assist hard to start cattle or cattle needing recovery from sickness. An irrigated pasture is also an ideal area for valuable horses after their athletic workout of working cattle.

Cool Season Grasses, Start in Late Summer or Fall
Cool season grasses can be seeded in the spring, but late summer or fall is considered the best time.

Many of the seed companies have particular mixtures of grasses that they recommend for their areas. The varieties will depend on the climate of the feedlot and the soil type that will be used for the pasture. For example, the Sharp Brothers Seed Company of Healy, Kansas, have 20 years experience with a mixture called PM6. ( See below picture of a pasture using Sharp's mixture.) Seed suppliers will suggests mixtures, however the use a single species of grass is recommended in certain situations.

Advantages of Cool Season Grasses
Mark Jensen, respected agronomist, of Sharp Brothers Seed stresses the advantages of fast establishment and good productivity (cash flow) in the first year after establishment. He says their mixture is usually established and fully productive one year after seeding.

Use of Effluent (Waste Water) from Feedlots
Sharp Brothers Seed points out that waste water can be used to irrigate pastures. Here is a direct quote from them:

"Cool season irrigated pasture provides an excellent opportunity for profitable and relatively trouble free use of waste water. Advantages include a large application window, including the spring, summer and fall months. Few other crops are actively growing over such a long period of time, converting potential environmental pollutants into valuable forage. In addition waste water is not likely to produce serious crop burn on perennial cool season grass in cases of accidental over application.

Harvested Forage
One of the pluses of irrigated pasture is often times some hay is harvested in the spring.

This hay is particularly high in energy and protein and valuable for hospital cattle, starting cattle and horses.

Attention to Details
One of the problems of an irrigated pasture is the details of management. Establishment, irrigation schedules, fencing, rotation of paddocks, stocking rates, supplement feeding when needed, and haying excessive forage, just to name a few of the details.

Certainly these management concerns can be overcome.

Eastern Gamma Grass (A warm season specie)
One of the new grasses that has caught the attention of livestock producers is Eastern Gamma grass, which is a native warm season grass. It is considered the most palatable and productive of native grasses. It has excellent winter hardiness, and best managed as a pure stand. The Sharp Brothers Company processes and markets this specie. One of the problems is establishment since the seed is highly dormant. But dormancy can be overcome with winter seeding. This specie probably would not be irrigated after establishment. ©