Chicory Monoculture for Summer Grazing

[Stocker Steve]

I have been looking into chicory for a summer paddock The recommendation is to plant it as a monoculture to allow you to easily manage the bolts.

Have you tried this, and did you see any advantage over a deep rooted legume like alfalfa?

 

[hayray]

All as I heard was that it needs high fertility and is sensitive to over-grazing but it has really high weight gains. Let me how it goes if you plant some. I was thinking of giving it a try in a spot or two also.

 

[Aaron]

Chicory is heroine for deer. Be prepared for 100's to come visit you. Maybe even a few with TB. :cowboy: :shock:

 

[Hoosier Pete]

Don't have any experience with it myself but a dairyman friend said when it was you and vegative the cows loved it but when it went south as far as maturity goes they wouldn't touch it.

 

[western]

plant it with some red clover. thats a great combo

 

[Stocker Steve]

plant it with some red clover. thats a great combo

How much RC?

 

[Brandonm22]

The only experience I have with chicory is as a wildlife plot. In my experience, you will raise more wild turkeys than you have ever had. The whole brood survives. Turkeys get so intense grazing it they will ignore you rather than leave it (takes some of the fun away from hunting) Cows will chow down on it if they get access.

 

[western]

6lbs of red clover per acre with the chicory

 

[western]

here is a great website.


www.ampacseed.com/oasis.htm

 

[Stocker Steve]

here is a great website.


http://www.ampacseed.com/oasis.htm

Thanks. This included some comments on how chicory out yielded alfalfa in MS but it does not like "heavy" soil. Any ideas on how chicory yield compares to alfalfa in the north?

 

[mnmtranching]

Steve, where you going to get the chicory and at what cost?

 

[Stocker Steve]

I spoke with the LaCrosse rep Friday. His input was a chicory with clover mix is good for well drained areas like hill sides, but most folks only use it for deer plots because it does not make good hay and they do not want to clip or chop it to keep it from bolting.

I put a lot of line and K into seeding alfalfa on a big ridge last year. In hindsight I should have paid less for inputs and put part of it into a chicory clover mix. Chicory does need N but that has really come down in price.

LaCrosse Forage (Wadena CPS supplier), Barnenburg (Leaf River Ag supplier), Welter Seed (Iowa 1-800-470-3325) all offer chicory. It runs about $7.25 per pound but it is a small seed.

 

[western]

here is a youtube video i found on chicory from Clemson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3v5xcwD ... xt_from=PL