After extended freeze events, there are several signs of frost damage that appear in cool-season forages. Producers may observe a white, burned appearance or a yellowing or browning in the forage canopy with some green at the base of the forage. There may also be forage leaf loss and/or limpness.

Will cool-season forages recover from frost damage?

• When determining if cool-season forages will recover after a frost, the extent of the browning in the forage canopy is important. If the forage growing points were insulated closer to soil level and there is still some green at the base of the plant, there is a greater chance of stand recovery. Soil temperatures decrease slower than above ground temperatures do, which provides some insulation for the forage canopy during cold snaps.
• Well-established forages will handle hard freezes better than newly established stands. Newly established stands are at a greater risk of stand failure the farther north they are in Alabama.
• Pastures and hayfields with better soil fertility conditions will help forages to recover more readily.
• Forage varieties matter. Some forage varieties of small grains and annual ryegrass are more tolerant of hard freezes than others are. Oats are known for their cold sensitivity. However, many oat varieties may sustain significant yield losses but not be winterkilled by cold weather events.

Steps to Recovery

• Assess the extent of damage right after the frost event and again weekly following periods of extended frost.
• Allow time before making fertilization decisions. Monitor the stands for 30 days, and allow any regrowth to occur to determine the strength of the stand and–if enough growth occurs–to justify fertilization.
• Graze or clip extensively damaged top growth to make room for the understory to grow back. It is important to open up the canopy to allow light to penetrate to growing points. It is important to not over graze existing stands. Do not graze below 3 to 4 inches in height. Limit grazing is a good management strategy to help decrease trampling and effectively use any standing forage.
• Nitrate levels may be elevated in cool-season grasses that were fertilized before the extended freeze. Nitrate levels are more fixed and do not dissipate in plants following a frost. In addition to plant nitrate levels, consider supplement types.
  • Note. Do not feed non-protein nitrogen feed supplements (i.e. urea-based products) along with stressed forages where nitrates may be of concern to further prevent risk.
• Replant cool-season annual stands if necessary, although this can be risky in terms of establishment. Consider areas where hay has been fed because fertility is better in those areas. If conditions allow, late planting may be an option, especially for annual ryegrass.

The Alabama Cottage Food Law went into effect in 2014 and was revised in 2021. The law states that individuals can produce certain nonhazardous foods in their homes. The new law defines a cottage food as a non-potentially hazardous food that has been prepared in a person’s home that does not require time and temperature control for safety. The law excludes products that use meat, poultry, or fish.

Fermentation is a great way to preserve foods. Several different kinds of fermented foods popular today are kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, tempeh, fermented pickles, and other vegetables. To be covered under Alabama’s Cottage Food Law, the fermented product must be produced using a validated recipe and process and must not result in the production of alcohol. Fermented products must meet acidity requirements for food safety, resulting in a finished equilibrium pH of 4.2 or below. Follow all United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines specific to your product. You can find these guidelines on any state Extension website or the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.

An approved laboratory must conduct initial testing. After the initial test and approval, Alabama Extension recommends periodic testing to ensure consistency

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System creates integrated pest management guides for major row crops; small and stored grains; pastures and forage crops; commercial turfgrass; noncropland; houses, buildings and grounds; commercial trees and ornamental crops; commercial horticultural crops; and homeowners lawns and ornamental and garden crops. These guides are compiled by both current and former Extension entomologists, plant pathologists, weed scientists, and a pesticide education specialist. Each IPM guide provides information on the selection, rates, application, and safe and proper use of pesticides.

Because the status of pesticides is constantly changing, some that are currently listed in the guides may no longer be legal. Also, some recently labeled pesticides may not yet be included. For these reasons, anyone preparing to use a pesticide should always consult the current pesticide label on the container before application. 

Chemicals are listed both by common names (lowercase letters) and by trade names (all capital letters). Some chemicals are available only under trade names and, therefore, their common names may be omitted because of space restrictions. The presence or absence of any particular trade name in no way indicates endorsement or discrimination on the part of Alabama Extension. 

Recommended uses of pesticides are based on research, field trials, demonstrations, and experience. Because of variations in environmental conditions and methods of application, these recommendations do not assure that your results will always be the same as those obtained in research. 

The label on every pesticide container presents information that is essential to safe and proper use, handling, and storage of the pesticide. Users are responsible for adhering to label information and should always review it thoroughly before applying the pesticide. Applying rates that exceed the recommendations or shortening the waiting period from application to harvest or grazing can cause excessive residues that are illegal according to state and federal regulations.

Winter offers a great time to inspect and maintain your pond dam and water control structures. Temperatures are excellent, the leaves are off the trees, and most snakes have gone into hibernation. A breached pond dam can be costly to repair and create a staggering amount of force and damage downstream. Annual inspection and care of your pond dam and water control structures gives you peace of mind, knowing that your upstream and downstream investments are secure and that you have ensured the safety of those downstream. The following are several steps that you can take to reduce the risk of the dam and drain failure.

Mowing

One of the most critical steps in dam maintenance is mowing throughout the season. Trees and shrubs are some leading causes of dam leaks and failures. Large woody plants that are allowed to grow anywhere on the dam may cause leaks as their root systems penetrate the dam’s clay core. Additionally, for blow-over trees and dead plants, their roots decompose, voids are left in the dam, and leaks can develop. If you already have established trees or shrubs on your barrier (anything with a trunk greater than 6 inches in diameter at breast height), your best option is to keep them as healthy as possible. Removing large trees or shrubs from a dam is more likely to cause leaks as their roots decay than if they are left healthy and standing. Anything smaller than 6 inches in diameter should be cut and treated with herbicide via a cut stump application to keep it from resprouting.

Clearing Debris

The simplest form of maintenance is checking and clearing your water control structures of debris. These include the trash rack that should be over every standpipe, the standpipe itself, and both the principal and emergency spillways. Often, leaf litter and limbs will accumulate on these structures (or sometimes intentionally stopped up by beaver), and this debris slows water movement during high rain or flow-through events, increasing the risk of flooding. If a pond level exceeds the dam’s height and begins to wash over, it may only take a few minutes for the dam to erode and wash away along with the rest of your pond. Be sure to install, repair, or replace trash racks over your pond’s standpipe as necessary, as they can rust off, or the grates can break and bend.

Monitoring Wildlife Damage

When examining a dam, watching for any damage caused by wildlife is essential. If beavers or muskrats use your pond, they should be removed immediately. Besides the obvious problems of cutting desirable trees and vegetation along the pond, they often attempt to make their homes inside the pond dam. Beavers or muskrats burrowing into your pond dam can cause substantial leaks and failure. These and other animals can try to clog or nest in the standpipe on the dam’s downstream side, so please check that both ends are cleaned out. Also, cattle should not be allowed any access to a pond dam. Cattle that walk on pond dams can create issues with erosion as vegetation is destroyed. It is suggested that cattle be fenced out of the pond or allowed limited access to a pond used for watering. Your county USDA office may have programs to support proper cattle watering and pond exclusion.

Maintaining the Control Valve

For ponds constructed with a valve serving for water level control, now is an excellent time to exercise/operate the control structure. This is done to keep your control valve in good working order. Valves left unused for years at a time will often become inoperable. Because of this, caution and best judgment should be used in deciding whether it is safe to open any pond valve. Older ponds–or those valves that have not been operated regularly–can often fail to open or seize and close, leaving a pond to drain helplessly. Use your discretion.

Conclusion

Annually checking off these pond maintenance chores will help prolong your pond’s life and allow for peace of mind knowing that your pond’s dam and water control structures are as sound as they can be. Information like this and much more is available at www.aces.edu or by contacting your county’s Alabama Cooperative Extension System office.