Texas Forage and Grazing Lands

06/02/2026

05/29/2026

Broadleaf Marshedler (Iva annua L.) is a warm season annual in the Sunflower family. Also called broadleaf sump w**d. The leaves are situated in pairs across from each other on the stem. Marshelder grows in wet, moist areas, disturbed areas, and roadsides. This plant germinates in the early spring in February or March. The flowers, which resemble those of the ragw**d group, are inconspicuous. It flowers in later summer and fall.

To learn about the control options for Broadleaf Marshelder, click the box below:
https://conta.cc/4ee7hsc

Email from Texas A and M AgriLife Extension   View Our Events   Agriculture And Life Sciences   Howdy! Welcome to ForageFax, I'm Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Professor and Forage Extension Specialist w

05/22/2026

Silver Leaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.) is an upright, usually prickly perennial in the nightshade family. It normally grows 1 to 3 feet tall and reproduces by seed and creeping root stalks. The plant has poor forage value for livestock and wildlife and can be poisonous to livestock.

To learn more about the toxicity of silver leaf nightshade and how to control it, click the box below:
https://conta.cc/4f8eV8J

Email from Texas A and M AgriLife Extension   View Our Events   Agriculture And Life Sciences   Howdy! Welcome to ForageFax, I'm Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Professor and Forage Extension Specialist w

05/15/2026

Crabgrass is a warm-season annual grass that is commonly found in pastures and hay meadows in parts of Texas. Relative to other warm-season annual grasses, crabgrass has a low- to medium-yield potential but is high in forage quality. As such, it is often a desirable component in pastures and is sometimes planted for forage in pastures.

Due to its high-volume seed production, crabgrass also has the potential to become a problematic and persistent w**d in hay meadows. Its competitive growth among perennial grass hay meadows contributes to stand thinning from spring to late summer; thus, growers are concerned about its economic impact.

To learn how to manage unwanted crabgrass, click the box below:
https://conta.cc/4ub7VfJ

Email from Texas A and M AgriLife Extension   View Our Events   Agriculture And Life Sciences   Howdy! Welcome to ForageFax, I'm Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Professor and Forage Extension Specialist w

05/11/2026

Don’t miss out on May 12th at 6 pm! Learn about grazing strategies for better livestock management.

https://conta.cc/3QChNjF

05/08/2026

Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient. Plants readily take up and use two forms of soil nitrogen, ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-). Other forms of nitrogen must be converted to one of these compounds before plants can utilize them directly for plant growth. Nitrogen sources covered by this week's Forage Fax post include ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, urea, urea-ammonium nitrate, DAP, and MAP.

To learn more about nitrogen fertilizer sources, click on the box below:
https://conta.cc/4eCqh4A

Email from Texas A and M AgriLife Extension   View Our Events   Agriculture And Life Sciences   Howdy! Welcome to ForageFax, I'm Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Professor and Forage Extension Specialist w

05/01/2026

Johnsongrass is a warm season perennial grass that is one of the most common and troublesome w**ds in agriculture. It is commonly found on roadsides, pastures and hay fields. It grows erect from 3 to 6 feet. Johnsongrass spreads by seeds and rhizomes (underground stems). The seedhead is a large, open panicle often with a purplish tint. Johnsongrass leaves have a large white midrib and a smooth, glossy appearance. Stems are smooth with no hairs.

To learn how to control johnsongrass, click the box below:
https://conta.cc/3QB4U9R

Email from Texas A and M AgriLife Extension   View Our Events   Agriculture And Life Sciences   Howdy! Welcome to ForageFax, I'm Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Professor and Forage Extension Specialist w

04/28/2026

During this period when fertilizer prices are rising with each passing day, those in the hay business have cause for restless nights.

04/28/2026

Although most people, including myself, strive or at least wish for a thinner physique, the term takes on a whole different connotation when we’re referencing a pasture or hayfield.

04/17/2026

Soil additives are different from traditional fertilizers and soil amendments in that they usually have little or no nutrient content. There is no requirement for these products to have a guaranteed analysis label, as long as they make no claim(s) regarding fertilizer value (i.e. N-P-K). Many of these products state on the label that they are not a substitute for a fertilizer program, but enhance the effectiveness of fertilizer normally applied or make nutrients in the soil more available to the crop.

They are claimed to improve soil physical, chemical, and biological properties to improve nutrient and/or water availability in the soil and increase crop nutrient uptake... but do they?

To learn more about soil amendments, click the box below:
https://conta.cc/4vUiNQH

Email from Texas A and M AgriLife Extension   View Our Events   Agriculture And Life Sciences   Howdy! Welcome to ForageFax, I'm Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Professor and Forage Extension Specialist w