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Browse by Author: Miguel Castillo
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Planting Guide for Forage Crops in North Carolina

By: Miguel Castillo, Becky Spearman, Dan Wells, Kim Woods

This planting guide provides the best available information about planting rates, depths, and stand evaluation for forage crops commonly grown in North Carolina.

Silage and Haylage Production

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication provides information on two forage conservation techniques to help producers select a technique that maximizes nutrient conservation efficiency and minimizes production costs.

Crabgrass for Pasture-Based Livestock Systems in North Carolina

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication discusses crabgrass as a forage and summarizes research findings on productivity and nitrogen fertilization in the piedmont and coastal plain of North Carolina.

Forage Quality

By: Miguel Castillo, Shannon Davidson

This publication defines and discusses the factors that affect forage quality and the prediction indices that can be used to assign a science-based measure of quality to evaluate forages.

Hay Production

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication addresses aspects of hay production as a method of conserving forage crops.

Forage Conservation: Troubleshooting Hay and Silage Production

By: Miguel Castillo, J. J. Romero Forage Notes

Forages can be conserved in the form of hay, baleage, and silage. It is important to keep in mind that, at best, conserved forages can rarely match the nutritive value of fresh forage. Some losses of highly digestible nutrients start immediately after cutting and are unavoidable. The goal in forage conservation is to focus on minimizing losses.

Enhancing Animal Welfare and Productivity Through Silvopasture Management

By: Sanjok Poudel, Miguel Castillo

This publication reviews research on silvopasture systems in Virginia and North Carolina, showing how combining trees, forage, and livestock can help farms in the southeastern U.S.

Overview of Forages and Forage Utilization for Pasture-Based Livestock Systems in North Carolina

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication is an overview of forage species and their use in livestock production systems in North Carolina.

Fertilization of Hay and Pastures in North Carolina

By: Miguel Castillo, Deanna Osmond, David Hardy

This publication discusses appropriate fertilizer application for forages in North Carolina.

Biomass and Nutrient Removal of Sorghum as a Bioenergy Crop

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication summarizes research conducted in North Carolina that evaluated sorghum's potential as a bioenergy feedstock when planted on land that receives large quantities of animal waste effluent.

Forage Quality Indices for Selecting Hay

By: Miguel Castillo, Juan José Romero

This publication provides an overview of the differences in forage quality by reviewing a summary of forage hay samples submitted to the N.C. State Fair Forage Contest over a 20 year period. It also discusses tools for ranking the quality of forages.

Production and Utilization of Stockpiled Tall Fescue: Understanding the Basic Concepts

By: Miguel Castillo, Joseph Burns, Stephanie Sosinski

This publication discusses the basic concepts of stockpiling as a forage management practice, including the purpose of stockpiling, which grasses can be stockpiled, nutritive valued of stockpiled tall fescue, and fertilization management.

Pasture Grazing Heights for Rotational Stocking

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication provides information for making grazing management decisions using rotational stocking. It covers canopy heights for stopping and starting grazing, days of pasture rest, and balancing plant and animal requirements.

Frost-Seeding Clovers into Tall Fescue Pastures

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication provides information about the practice and benefits of frost-seeding clovers into established tall fescue pastures and presents the results of research conducted in the North Carolina piedmont.

Harvest Management Extends the Season of Available Switchgrass Bioenergy Feedstock in North Carolina

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication summarizes the results of multiple North Carolina field trials that evaluated agronomic management and alternatives that extend the switchgrass feedstock supply beyond traditional harvest times.

Performance of Bermudagrass Cultivars in North Carolina Spray Fields

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication discusses the year-of- and year-after-establishment dynamics, management, environment, and productivity for five bermudagrass cultivars grown in spray fields in North Carolina.

Bermudagrass Production in North Carolina

By: Miguel Castillo, Becky Spearman, Dan Wells, Randy Wood, Paul Gonzalez

This publication covers the different types of bermudagrass, uses of bermudagrasses, planting methods and the grasses' pests and diseases.

Silvopastures: Forage Productivity and Microclimate

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication provides a general overview of silvopastures and discusses the results of forage productivity and microclimate assessments conducted in Goldsboro, NC. It highlights the importance of tree-forage compatibility, management strategies, and regional climatic considerations.

Cool-Season Annual Forages for Pasture-Based Livestock Systems

By: Miguel Castillo

Cool-season annual forages like wheat, oats, and ryegrass can be used to feed livestock in North Carolina during late autumn and spring. This publication explains how these forages can be grown, managed, and used as supplements. It also reports the results of a trial showing how cool-season forages perform in terms of establishment, productivity, and nutritive value.

Increasing Diversity in Grasslands: Grazing Management Effects

By: Miguel Castillo Forage Notes

Grazing management can have profound impact on how forage mixtures develop and persists over time. It is the art and science of grazing management that determines whether a potentially good forage, or mixture of forages, will actually be a good one. Department of Crop Science Forage and Grassland Program www.forages.ncsu.edu

Quantifying Pasture Productivity

By: Miguel Castillo

This publication discusses methods to measure the amount of grass available for grazing to help farmers better manage their fields and animals. It covers techniques like hand-clipping and indirect methods such as using tools to estimate grass height. Estimating forages is important for ensuring animals have enough food and maintaining healthy pastures.

Biomass Production With Legume and Small Grain Cover Crop Mixtures in North Carolina: Research Summary

By: Rachel Vann, Chris Reberg-Horton, Miguel Castillo, Steven Mirsky, Rebecca McGee

This publication discusses a study to compare five winter pea genotypes to crimson clover and hairy vetch for biomass production in mixture with various small grains.