Autum crop bradcast just to surface

[greggy]

We are opposite to US, so going into winter, gets cold but not freezing.

Have had some decent rain recently.

Have a couple of acres where I do not want to tear up the existing grass and clover which is prob covering 70 %

Was thinking about broadcasting a rye and letting the cattle trample it in maybe after next rain.....or do you think another grass would be better.....

Not even wanting to pull a drag over existing as it has only just started recovering from bad drought.....

Once winter passes, can millet be used in this fashion....

You see at co ops where seed like oat just grows sitting on the ground where spilt....although I know it wont be as good as drilled....

 

[1982vett]

Ryegrass is an excellent choice for broadcasting in that manner. Somewhere, sometime some years ago, I saw a time laps video how it "cork screws" itself into the ground when it gets wet. However the grazing it provides is a little later than oats. I'm finding that isn't a big problem if I have good pastures going into the winter. I used to think I needed knee high oats by November. That was when I had bare pastures going into September and was supplementing them with hay till I could turn in on the oats I spent time and money to plant in prepared seedbeds. Best part about ryegrass is I don't have to plant it. It volunteers every year. Fertilizing for it early in the fall will help get a little earlier grazing. Doesn't hurt what's already in the pastures either.

 

[Banjo]

Ryegrass is an excellent choice for broadcasting in that manner. Somewhere, sometime some years ago, I saw a time laps video how it "cork screws" itself into the ground when it gets wet. However the grazing it provides is a little later than oats. I'm finding that isn't a big problem if I have good pastures going into the winter. I used to think I needed knee high oats by November. That was when I had bare pastures going into September and was supplementing them with hay till I could turn in on the oats I spent time and money to plant in prepared seedbeds. Best part about ryegrass is I don't have to plant it. It volunteers every year. Fertilizing for it early in the fall will help get a little earlier grazing. Doesn't hurt what's already in the pastures either.

Do you do any kind of ground stimulation like pulling a grass harrow or drag in the fall.....or does it come up on its own?

 

[regolith]

Don't know about your area... over this side of the ditch it's really getting too cold to expect good germination and growth of anything planted now. Oats and IRG would be about the best bet for late planting/early grazing.
Broadcasting works. Sure, there's fancier ways to do it, but if you knock the existing pasture back by grazing hard or spraying, throw the seed on and you've got the right conditions it should strike.
Ryegrass I put out at this time last year wasn't grazed for the first time till August. It did grow... eventually.

 

[greggy]

I am thinking with the weather and all, if I keep throwing seeds out every now and then, it should build up a seed bank for future conditions

It is pretty cool here at night, but still 12 to 15 in day and ground surface stills shows damp after 100 mil or so a week ago...

Rye was pretty cheap last time I bought it, I can broadcast a fast annual rye, oats, maybe some other rye and have plenty of natural fert to spread around atm. Cut top off a IBC and am going to soak in water and release every day or so in barer spots.

 

[1982vett]

Greggy, I need to clarify that I'm talking about ryegrass and not a cereal type rye....disregard my post if we aren't on the same page.

 

[1982vett]

Ryegrass is an excellent choice for broadcasting in that manner. Somewhere, sometime some years ago, I saw a time laps video how it "cork screws" itself into the ground when it gets wet. However the grazing it provides is a little later than oats. I'm finding that isn't a big problem if I have good pastures going into the winter. I used to think I needed knee high oats by November. That was when I had bare pastures going into September and was supplementing them with hay till I could turn in on the oats I spent time and money to plant in prepared seedbeds. Best part about ryegrass is I don't have to plant it. It volunteers every year. Fertilizing for it early in the fall will help get a little earlier grazing. Doesn't hurt what's already in the pastures either.

Do you do any kind of ground stimulation like pulling a grass harrow or drag in the fall.....or does it come up on its own?

Not anymore. I stopped planting oats in a prepared seed bed about 8 years ago. Gulf coast ryegrass began showing up in our fields some 40+ years ago. After Dad stopped row cropping he would put mix some seed in the oats when planting. I've planted a pure stand once and mixed the seed with the fertilizer to thicken/ensure a more even stand in fields I knew I was going to cut for hay. I don't need to do that anymore as it is now well established.

I closed the cows out of this pasture Just a few days before cutting it. Had I planned on cutting I would have closed them out earlier. Would have been nice to have fertilized it too but baling it was not the plan. After all, it's just pasture.



Here is pasture where clovers have been established. Taken a a few days before it was cut. I had closed the cows our of it a few weeks before cutting.






I was a bit concerned this last fall that rainfall was sparse and some pastures had a bit of heave grass cover. I was afraid it may have not survived the dryer conditions or was shaded out. That wasn't the case. After the early November freeze it came on just fine.

 

[greggy]

Yeah, no, I meant grass....

I got some oats that were left over, and a mix of rye grass that wont cause staggers, it will go in with the other various grasses and clovers....have some fert and a few tonnes of cow dung to spread.....

Will then let cattle out to do the tilling for me till a few days after it has a decent rain again, I might scratch up some real bare spots first before broadcast.

 

[anewcomer]

There is no pasture forage that will produce more dry matter, of higher quality, at a lower cost than annual ryegrass. It can be planted in a prepared seedbed, drilled into sod, broadcast into sod or walked in by cattle into sod. In the Southeast, 20 lbs. per acre broadcast in the fall and walked in by cows will carry a lactating cow from spring calving to breeding season at a level
that will put weight on the cow. Without fertilizer.

 

[greggy]

So what I did, is I tested the drag and ground and grass firm enough it did not do much or damage what was there.

So I got out the box blade and extended the rippers and ripped the top 2 inches on the hard barest patches, I then broadcast some extra fert, then hand broadcast the rye (a mix of 2 ryes), then I broadcast some oats and 2 ryes over all areas as enough bare spots some seed will take.

I then did a few laps with the drag, rain expected today, so will let the cattle out there for a few days to a week to do some extra ground work and seed contact for me and see how it ends up. Soil is not great in these bare spots, but conditions are better to try and get something going than 2 years ago.

 

[wbvs58]

Greggy, I just finished planting about 7 acres of Arnie ryegrass. It is a diploid ryegrass, a lot finer stem than the tetraploid rye's which makes it easier to get dry to bale in spring. I do have an old Connor Shea tyne seeder which does a great job in getting it where it is needed. Hopefully this forecast rain band comes to fruition.
I usually do drill some tetila rye into my paddocks which works well for better quality feed late winter. This year the grass is so good I would have trouble getting through it without mulching it first so should be good for winter feed when I bring the cows home from the tin mine next door, about the end of June.

Ken

 

[greggy]

Yeah, the mix was 2 diploid ryes, knight and 150, knight did well a few years ago, the 150 should persist.

I have a mob of calves out there now working it in further for me and it has been raining on and off just nicely so far, a good % was already holding moisture at the top.

It is in between some natives, cocksfoot, phalaris, and a few different clovers, some weeds too but they will get eaten before going to seed.

How long would you leave the calves walking this in, I do not mind a heavy grazing, but do not want them picking the new shoots up, seeing were prob similar temp wise.....so soil was moist, is showering here and there, has been 15 days and 3 nights, supposed to be a week of 11 days and 1 nights, but we are getting some frosts, but not prob while it is raining...

I am using this area to learn, so far I need to work more on summer pasture, it has not been as good, I guess the temps and lack of water do not help

 

[wbvs58]

Not much chance of them eating the shoots as rye is small seed and shoots are fine at first but I would have them off it by about 5 days so they don't damage the early shoots.

Ken

 

[greggy]

We will see how many are left, I think every galah and cocky left every orchard and decided to hang out in the paddock for seed.

Someone once told me they buy 3x the seed when broadcasting, some for the soil, some to get washed and blown away, and some for the birds....darn stuff has got to expensive in last few years too feed the birds !

 

[greggy]

Waiting for more rain, so have moved them all into this paddock, will prob pull out Fri or weekend, as I did more broadcasting and running over the ground, rain has been threatening each day, but not come, next week supposed to be more....

As on a slope a lot of it, some mild, some steeper, I want them to press in as much as possible, working well in some of the wetter areas, have hoof marks an inch deep They also mashed some weeds up for me...the good thing is they cannot decimate the existing stuff like the sheep can.

I have also got some finer lawn type mixes, and filling some patches, and in areas stock not let into much, around sheds etc. But it is prob the type that causes staggers as no info on that.
So have a bit of annual and perennial out now, and I hope our spring and summer brings more moisture, it got so dry I could not even get ky going in the spots I want it.