Clovers can cut your nitrogen fertilizer bills in half, and the legumes provide a big boost to cattle nutrition. Late winter is the time to plant clover, especially if you're in an area where it's freezing and thawing.
You can no-till clover into pastures during late February and early March. But it takes some preparation.
If possible, kill the pasture sod in the fall with a herbicide. You also can have success by making cattle graze the grass close to the ground and then keeping it grazed close until planting.
Mark Williams of Marion, Ky., cut his farm's nitrogen fertilizer bill in half by using a low-tech way of adding clover to existing stands of fescue.
After grazing the grass to a low height, Williams simply broadcasts red clover in February at a rate of 10 pounds per acre. He lets his cattle tread the seed into the soil while it's freezing and thawing. You can't beat the equipment cost, but treading in clover is an art. You'll probably waste some seed this way.
Jack Godbey of Danville, Ky., has another low-tech way of adding clover to his hilly pastures. He mixes clover seed into his cattle's free-choice mineral, and the animals distribute it across his fields. Over the years, this has done a good job of getting clover established. Seed even finds its way into nooks and crannies where planters can't go. Of course, much seed can be wasted this way, too.
Whichever method you choose, buy certified seed from the top of your state's variety trials.