There are many small steps that can be made to improve pastures each year: weed control, overseeding grasses, rotational grazing, fall nitrogen, and regular soil testing. But sometimes these things simply aren’t enough. Pastures can struggle to recover from heavy grazing, extreme weather conditions, or persistent weed pressures.

Over the last few years, the University of Kentucky (UK) Horse Pasture Evaluation Program has worked with farm managers frustrated at the lack of substantial improvements despite following all the standard pasture management recommendations. The solution—completely re-establishing pastures—sounds daunting to many farm managers, but those who have tried it have seen the results and reaped the rewards.

Complete re-establishment involves killing a pasture before reseeding it with a mixture of desirable grasses. Of course, there is both cost and risk involved; however, when carried out properly, re-establishment transforms a pasture and is worth the investment.

The standard practice is to kill the existing pasture with glyphosate (two applications, beginning in late summer, are ideal), but it can also be accomplished by tilling the land or planting a row crop such as corn or soybeans. Then, reseed the pasture by drilling quality grass seed in the fall. Rest is essential for success—re-established pastures will likely be out of the grazing rotation for six months or more, but the end result is a highly productive pasture for many years to come