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An Answer for
White Clover Preservation
White Clover Preservation
Pasture managers strive to provide a diverse, weed-free mix of high-quality forage in their pastures. NovaGraz™ herbicide makes that goal much more attainable.
A better answer to an age-old question has renewed interest — and action — among pasture managers looking to establish white clover and annual lespedeza for improved grazing.
“Every day. Every single day,” Jerry Staiger says. “Someone asks: ‘I’ve got white clover; what can you do for me? Because I’ve got a weedy mess.’ I’ve never had a good answer.” Until now.
Staiger, along with his father and several others in the family, runs Maple Pass Dairy Farm, a fourth-generation operation near Marionville in southwestern Missouri. He also manages Earlybird Feed and Fertilizer, where he fields those nonstop questions on white clover preservation. NovaGraz™ herbicide has made the conversation easier.
Livestock grazers in Missouri and across the fescue belt value white clover and annual lespedeza, because these legumes help dilute the impact of fescue toxicosis while improving forage quality and quantity. They also fix nitrogen in the soil, reducing reliance on commercial fertilizers.
Before NovaGraz, the best options for broadleaf weed management in grass-white clover pastures would also control the desirable white clover and annual lespedeza. NovaGraz provides broad-spectrum broadleaf weed control while preserving important legumes and their many benefits.
“Most producers learn fast that pigweed, lambsquarters, chickweed, plantain, deadnettle and all the other weeds we deal with kill grass and white clover almost as fast as herbicides do,” Staiger explains. The inevitable conundrum arises when the weeds reach the point where their harm outweighs the benefits white clover provides.
Firsthand Perspective
Out on the farm where the Staigers have made quality grazing a priority since the mid-1950s, NovaGraz helps meet their goals.
“Dairy producers are the original regenerative farmers,” Staiger explains. “We’ve always believed it’s important for our cows to spend time on grass and that we should provide the highest-quality pasture possible. Our goal is a forage base that includes up to 50% white clover.” Before NovaGraz, that could be challenging.
“If we had a thin spot or bare ground, we would have preferred to interseed white clover; but we knew our weed control would eventually kill it, so we’d go with something like sudangrass,” Staiger explains. Now with NovaGraz and careful grazing management, the Staigers can achieve an optimum balance in their forage mix.
Education and Expectations
Switching to his retailer hat, Staiger says NovaGraz has brought unprecedented interest among his beef and dairy producer customers in adding white clover and annual lespedeza to their forage base. It’s also spurred a need for education about white clover’s initial response to NovaGraz.
“Your first take is, ‘I’ve really damaged my white clover,’” Staiger explains. “NovaGraz lays over white clover just like it does the weeds. But I know that all will be fine. So, it’s important we talk about and set those expectations up front.”
“Within 14 to 21 days, most producers move from being worried about their white clover to ‘Wow! It’s perked right back up and looks like it did before spraying — except without the weeds,” says Brant Mettler, a Missouri-based Corteva Agriscience Range & Pasture Specialist.
He says you can expect white clover to turn slightly yellow and lodge within one to two days. Plants appear to lay over and lack vertical growth. Plants usually will remain lodged and yellow for two to three weeks.
“Annual lespedeza, on the other hand, shows very little effect, with a slight yellowing of leaves and no lodging. About three weeks after application, white clover will begin to regain vigor and grow out of the lodging phase,” Mettler says. “At four to six weeks, white clover will fully recover.”
Staiger says producer interest proves the need for NovaGraz.
“I have already sold more white clover seed in the first half of the year than in all my years here combined,” he notes, “All because we now have a tool that lets us take care of the weeds without losing our investment in white clover.”
And that’s bringing a whole new view of the landscape.
“We now can have what many would consider ideal Missouri pastures — a good, healthy mix of grass and white clover,” Staiger says. “It’s what everybody ought to be after.”
Learn more about the white clover response and get tips for minimizing the impact and maximizing results.
White clover and annual lespedeza exhibit some initial injury (such as lodging and loss of vigor) but recover. NovaGraz™ is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions.