bottom land, what to do

[GMN]

We have a 25 acre field on our bottom, lost alot of the seeding from last year, use to be orchardgrass, clover and fescue. We want to utilize our land better, thought we might try a form of Millet in there, to get a hay crop, then either in fall reseed with winter wheat, or put a permanent crop of orchardgrass/winter wheat, or just orchardgrass/clover back in. Anyone ever plant millet before, have good results with it?

Also what is the difference between millet and the sudan type plants (green graze) we have planted green graze before and chopped it for the cows, I know it isn't the best in round bales, but we kind of are looking for quantity in hay bales this year, so we don't have to buy big volumes of hay again, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Gail

 

[Stocker Steve]

There are many types of millet. Some are very short seaon. Most millets are too course to dry well for hay. I have only grown Jap millet - - it looks like small reeds if you let it get about 3 feet tall. OK yield and fair palatibility.
Grazing corn is better for tilled ground unless you do not have a long enough season or enough mositure. Interseeding a rye grass may be your cheapest one year plan.

 

[stocky]

When there were alot of dairies in this area people put out soybeans and millet and cut it for hay for their dairy cows. Sudan types make alot of hay, if you get rain, and it is very high in food value and very sweet to the cow's taste. Alot of the dairy people used to put out sudan for hay, also. The round bales with netting keep very well and it bales up in hurry. If you have a good rain year, you can put up a huge volume of very high quality sudan hay. You want to cut it just as it starts to head out and you can get 3-4 cuttings in a normal summer. The drawbacks for sudan are, 1. It costs alot of money to plow and sow it. 2. It takes quite alot of heat and sunshine to cure it to bale. 3. There are some of the sudans that if the bales get covered with ice and snow and you feed them while covered, they can poison the cattle. I have fed alot of sudan and this has never happened to me. 4. When frost comes, the sudan is gone and you have to plant something else for next year---alot of people plant wheat.

 

[GMN]

Thank you stocky for that info. Good to know, especially I see you are from SW MO, like me. We think we may just extend the 10 acre feild now into part of the 25 acre field, and plant that green graze supreme (sudan) See how that works, instead of discing up the whole bottom, because part of the 25 acres has a decent stand of orchardgrass/clover/fescue, I think would be a shame to lose it, then in fall no till orchardgrass into the whole 25 acres again. The wish for more round bales is high, yet our time to plant a big field like that is short, plus the money it would take is high, then if we had a summer like last, I'm not sure we would even break even. If I could predict a rainy summer, we would put it all in sudan and get alot of hay, but the past 2 summers have been dry, not sure it is worth all the work and expense.

Thanks for the reply

GMN

 

[J & B Farms]

I live in Vernon county and have 15 acres that is in bottom land. Four years ago I planted it to Orchard grass and the next spring broadcasted clover in it. The orchard grass does real well down there as long as you keep it fertilized.