Forecast rain provides incentive for cool-season plantings

 

Jonathan Kubesch, extension forage specialist, and Saline County Extension Agent Nicole Nichols, calibrate a spreader to be used in planting cool-season forages. (UADA image courtesy Jonathan Kubesch)

By Mary Hightower

U of A System Division of Agriculture

Oct. 22, 2025

 Fast facts:

• UADA has a variety of publications to guide cool-season forage decisions
• Planting choices driven by climate, grazing needs

LITTLE ROCK — Another forecast for a rainy weekend means another opportunity for ranchers to speed-plant some cool-season forages, said Jonathan Kubesch, extension forage specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

The National Weather Service was forecasting at least an inch of rain across all of Arkansas this weekend, with the potential for some areas of between 2-4 inches.

When it comes to what to plant, the “No. 1 choice is always going to be annual ryegrass,” he said. “It’s the gateway annual to consider because it is one of the easiest winter annuals to plant. It’s what I went with — based on my needs and what I’m looking for in repeated grazing come spring.”

Kubesch said there are plenty of options for Arkansas forage beyond ryegrass, including winter wheat, winter oats, spring oats and cereal rye.

“Cereal rye is really good if you're expecting it to be nice, cold, and wet,” he said. “A lot of folks are looking at winter wheat as a grazing option. A rye or a wheat paired with ryegrass is a really good mixture for a lot of the state.”

“In South Arkansas, we do have the option of doing winter oats,” Kubesch said. “Coker is a variety that’s mentioned a lot and it’s what’s available.”

However, when it comes to spring oats, Kubesch said growers should proceed with caution.

As for spring oats, “we do not want to plant this fall. It's not going pull through winter,” he said. “And I would really hesitate to put oat into the mix, if you’re trying to grow it anywhere north of central Arkansas.”

However, “in South Arkansas, winter oats are good,” he said. “We had them pull through great at Hope, even with some exciting cold turns last winter.”

Cool-season forages are versatile too, Kubesch said.

“All the cool-seasons are easier to put up as baleage and silage, but can be put up as dry hay too,” he said. “Better yet, graze 'em!”

When it comes to developing a warm-season grazing system, the Cooperative Extension Service recommends:

• Leave 50 percent of the farm in regular grazing or hay feeding areas from August to October
• Stockpile 25 percent of warm-season perennials for fall grazing in October and November.
• Plant 25 percent in winter annuals for winter and spring grazing from February to April

For ranchers trying to sort out the best cool-season grasses or grains to grow, Kubesch said the Cooperative Extension Service has several publications to guide decision-making:

• FSA3063 — Using Cool-Season Annual Grasses for Hay and Silage
• FSA3064 — Using Cool-Season Annual Grasses for Grazing Livestock
• FSA3151 — Planting Oats for Forage
• FSA2139 — General Traits of Forage Grasses Grown in Arkansas

Find a full listing of forage management guides online. 

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

 

 

Arkansas sheep and goat workshops aim to strengthen supply chain, expand markets

 

Lamb dish from Anderson Roccha's new cookbook.

By Sarah Cato

University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

 

Fast facts

·       Arkansas sheep and goat producers face limited markets, supply chain issues

Upcoming extension workshops to address meat processing and cooking techniques

·       Speaker Anderson Rocha to release new cookbook at workshops

 

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Extension Small Ruminant team, led by extension specialist Dan Quadros, is filling gaps in the sheep and goat supply chain in Arkansas with two October workshops covering cooking techniques and proper meat processing methods. 

The speaker for both events will be Anderson Rocha, an internationally renowned animal scientist and chef with 25 years of experience.

“Arkansas sheep and goat producers face many challenges, and we are hoping these workshops will tackle two of the biggest: lack of markets and supply chain issues,” Quadros said. “We are very fortunate to have Anderson Rocha lead these workshops and unveil his new cookbook, featuring lamb and goat recipes.” 

Expanding markets

One major hurdle Arkansas sheep and goat producers face is that the meats are just not very popular in the state. However, by encouraging Arkansas chefs to include lamb and goat meat in their dishes, Quadros hopes to expand the market for and consumption of lamb and goat in Arkansas.

“It has been proven that trying a dish in a restaurant is a gateway to increasing consumption. However, lamb and goat meat are not commonly featured on menus in the state except in some ethnic and upscale restaurants,” Quadros said. “Our goal is to promote the use of lamb and goat in the culinary arts and strengthen our local food systems.”

A Sheep and Goat Culinary Course, aimed at chefs, culinary students and educators, will be held Oct. 28-29 at the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at the Market Center of the Ozarks in Springdale. Topics covered will include:

·       Butchery

·       Cooking techniques catered to specific cuts

·       Flavor profiles

·       Presentation

The workshop has a registration fee of $150 with a 50 percent discount available to culinary students and educators. Lunch will be provided, and the registration deadline is Oct. 28. Find registration forms and more information on the Arkansas Extension Small Ruminants blog.

Strengthening the supply chain

“When we surveyed Arkansas sheep and goat producers, one major off-farm challenge that was consistently brought up was the lack of meat processors properly trained in small ruminants,” Quadros said. “Our first workshop this month is for our meat processing workforce to help fill this gap.

A Sheep and Goat Carcass Fabrication Workshop will be held Oct. 22-23 at the Arkansas State University Meat Lab in Jonesboro. Topics covered will include: 

·       State and federal inspection 

·       Carcass classification

·       Charcuterie

·       Packing

·       Primal and subprimal cuts.

This workshop has a registration fee of $150 with a 50 percent discount available to sheep and goat producers. Lunch will be included, and the registration deadline is Oct. 22. Find registration forms and more information on the Arkansas Extension Small Ruminants blog.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.