Menu
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Forums
Cattle Boards
Grasses, Pastures & Hay
converting back to pasture after row croping
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Help Support CattleToday:
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Lucky_P" data-source="post: 883792" data-attributes="member: 12607"><p>I'm kind of divided between 'seeing what comes up' and planting summer annuals, like pearlmillet and crabgrass. If I knew I'd get a good stand of 'volunteer' crabgrass and johnsongrass, I might let it go at that and plan to do a fall perennial planting - but you might not get enough to feed many cows if you're counting on whatever's in the soilbank, especially if this field has been cropped & Roundupped for years. And you might just have giant ragweed and horseweeds 10-12 ft tall.</p><p>I converted a 45 acre creekbottom field here, that had been in corn/soybean rotation for years, back to pasture about 12 years ago - got NRCS cost-share funding to put in orchardgrass, timothy, red and white clover - and I slipped in some endophyte-free fescue 'on my own dime'. Worked good for a couple of years, 'til we had a drought, and almost all of those turned 'toes-up'. None of those will stand up to drought or overgrazing, timothy never lasts more than a couple of years here, and red clover never hangs in there for more than 2-3 years, anyway.</p><p></p><p>Now, I wouldn't advise anyone to kill off a good established stand of endophyte-infected KY-31 fescue to plant endophyte-free fescue (I did that, too; a HUGE mistake), but if you're starting with a 'blank slate', as you've described - restoring a clean crop field back to pasture - I'd recommend you consider drilling this field to Max-Q(novel-endophyte) tall fescue, Persist orchardgrass, and a mix of good red clover and a large-leafed white/Ladino clover variety like Kopu II, Alice, or Will. It'll be fairly pricey up-front, but worth the cost in the long run.</p><p>Check with your local UT ag extension agent - I know they did some trials with Max-Q and Persist down in Lawrence County - and those performed well there - as they have here.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lucky_P, post: 883792, member: 12607"] I'm kind of divided between 'seeing what comes up' and planting summer annuals, like pearlmillet and crabgrass. If I knew I'd get a good stand of 'volunteer' crabgrass and johnsongrass, I might let it go at that and plan to do a fall perennial planting - but you might not get enough to feed many cows if you're counting on whatever's in the soilbank, especially if this field has been cropped & Roundupped for years. And you might just have giant ragweed and horseweeds 10-12 ft tall. I converted a 45 acre creekbottom field here, that had been in corn/soybean rotation for years, back to pasture about 12 years ago - got NRCS cost-share funding to put in orchardgrass, timothy, red and white clover - and I slipped in some endophyte-free fescue 'on my own dime'. Worked good for a couple of years, 'til we had a drought, and almost all of those turned 'toes-up'. None of those will stand up to drought or overgrazing, timothy never lasts more than a couple of years here, and red clover never hangs in there for more than 2-3 years, anyway. Now, I wouldn't advise anyone to kill off a good established stand of endophyte-infected KY-31 fescue to plant endophyte-free fescue (I did that, too; a HUGE mistake), but if you're starting with a 'blank slate', as you've described - restoring a clean crop field back to pasture - I'd recommend you consider drilling this field to Max-Q(novel-endophyte) tall fescue, Persist orchardgrass, and a mix of good red clover and a large-leafed white/Ladino clover variety like Kopu II, Alice, or Will. It'll be fairly pricey up-front, but worth the cost in the long run. Check with your local UT ag extension agent - I know they did some trials with Max-Q and Persist down in Lawrence County - and those performed well there - as they have here. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Cattle Boards
Grasses, Pastures & Hay
converting back to pasture after row croping
Top