Fertilizer good or bad

[A6gal]

After several recent setbacks, I have just got my cattle back on a good vaccination program, worming, fly control, feeding the proper salts and minerals and am now looking toward better management of my coastal bermuda that has not been fertilized in about 10 years and is showing the results of it. Of course no rain in forever hasn't helped the situation either, but dove season is on the way and it always seems to rain opening day. I'm looking forward to that! Anyway....

I plan to use 2,4-D for weed control. Can anyone in the south/central Texas area share what they are using for fertilizer, how much per acre, application process and the cost.

I don't want to be totally illerate about the process when I contact our local chemical company.

 

[bigbull338]

if your gonna fertalize id use triple 17.at the rate of 300lbs to ac.the pre ac cost will run you $50 an ac.how meny acs you want to fertalize. scott

 

[A6gal]

40 acres for sure, possibly another 20 acre field depending on the cost.

 

[bigbull338]

your looking at 9 to 10 tons .to do 60acs once.thats $3000 just doing it once. scott

 

[dun]

Can anyone in the south/central Texas area share what they are using for fertilizer, how much per acre, application process and the cost.

I don't want to be totally illerate about the process when I contact our local chemical company.

Don;t know about that part of the world, but not doing a soil test ends up costing more money in uneeded chemicals then the soil test costs.

dun

 

[A6gal]

I'm looking into having a soil test done. Does it matter what time of year the sample is taken? Also, the soil sample form has several options of testing. I'm not sure which one I need. Here are some options:

Routine Ananlysis (pH, NO3, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S and conductivity) - cost $10;

R + Micronutrients (Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn) - cost $15

R + Micro + Detailed Lime Requirement (Lime) - cost $20

and there are about 6 more options. I guess I should contact my local Extension Office.

 

[dun]

I'm looking into having a soil test done. Does it matter what time of year the sample is taken? Also, the soil sample form has several options of testing. I'm not sure which one I need. Here are some options:

Routine Ananlysis (pH, NO3, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S and conductivity) - cost $10;

R + Micronutrients (Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn) - cost $15

R + Micro + Detailed Lime Requirement (Lime) - cost $20

and there are about 6 more options. I guess I should contact my local Extension Office.

Very rarely do we get anything other then the basic test. Once you get the resluts, talk to your chemical supplier. If you need the alte rthe ph there are neutralization numbers that vary by the type of lime.

dun

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Could I just concentrate on buying and breeding cattle that are easy "doers". Has anyone ever tried not fertilizing for long lenghts of time or is this what someone else told you would happen if you didnt fertilize? I am not trying to be a smart a$$ just wondering if someone has a study showing one way or the other?

no one has to tell you what will happen if you dont fertilize your pastures will do that.we are suppose to be stewards of the land not freeloaders you can cut alot of corners in this business but not fertilizing aint one of them you need cattle that are easy doers regardless.

 

[MikeC]

Fertilizing a cow pasture is really not as critical once you get the nutrients balanced, because cows don't really remove as many nutrients as hayfields. They put them back on occasion. ;-)

But not fertilizing a hayfield is insane! :roll:

 

[mitchwi]

We fertilize our hayfields after 1st crop is taken off, every year no question about it. After years and years of the previous farmer never fertilizing the pastures, even when we did attempt to fertilize one year, the ground was so hard packed and deteriorated we sort of lost the $$ in that go around. So every year since then we have started rotational grazing and also re-seeded the pastures a pasture at a time each year. This year we did the final pasture lot. I am positive we are reaping benefits from this and will be for years to come. Can I put a dollar figure on it? Probably not....but I see what we can raise off our pastures and crops we get off our fields compared to others who do not, or skimp on the fertilizing and know we are making the right decisions. It is not how many acres you have....it is how well you take care of those acres....and how much quality/quantity crops/forage you get per acre.

 

[mitchwi]

Also, all things are relative... according to where you live. We are in Wisconsin we have VERY short growing seasons. We get 3 crops of hay off (usually) and some farmers take 4.

I read one earlier response about getting 3.8 bales per acre on one field and 2 bales per acre on another field. That may be acceptable in Texas....but in the north we are usually feeding hay from sep/oct to apr/may.

We bale 800# round, and this year have 28 acres alfalfa, none this year was a 1st year seeding, have taken 1st and 2nd off, 2nd crop was much shorter than average as we had a minor draught started. 273 bales. If we didn't fertilize we would feel that impact.

 

[bigbull338]

if i kept the 300 round bales.i could carry about 125 momma cows with ease.but will carry 50 cows and calves this winter on carryover hay. so all the hay that was cut this yr was sold.scott

 

[A6gal]

I got some advice from my county extention agent, he said, "A routine sample is fine. It is probably to late this year. I would wait until February to sample, and apply fertilizer in March or early April right before green up. " Extention office can provide you with bags and forms. There is info on weed control under the publication link. The address is http://medina-tx.tamu.edu . If you put down liquid fertilizer, you can use it as the carrier to put down weedmaster or what ever chemical you decide to use. It will be best to do this in the spring too. Very good idea to soil sample, nitrogen is around $300 / ton. So a $10 sample can save big. 1 ton of Bermuda per acre take off about 50 lb of nitrogen, 15 lb of phosphorous, and 42 lb of potassium per acre. Along with 5 lb of sulphur and 3 lb of magnesium."

 

[Anonymous]

Me personally. I had to top dress my 70 acres with imonium nitrate It gave that fescue a good kick to the ass.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Me personally. I had to top dress my 70 acres with imonium nitrate It gave that fescue a good kick to the ass.

How much per Acre?

 

[Anonymous]

I put 12 tons for my 70 acres. It had already had it about a year ago. I didnt want to over do it.

 

[Dvperez81]

But you also will need to follow some guidelines such as rotational grazing, etc....

I always thought it was a standard thing??? as a matter of fact I thought every rancher did this .

 

[Crowderfarms]

I put 12 tons for my 70 acres. It had already had it about a year ago. I didnt want to over do it.

Just curious. I use about 200lbs. per Acre.I'm just wondering how that dirt is down around Dayton, TN.

 

[Anonymous]

Pretty fertile however as I said I had just top dressed it about a year ago. Cant recall how much I put on it but it was like 30 tons I think. So i just another 12 this time was skeert id overdo it. Good crop growin dirt. corn soybeans maters, etc.

 

[MikeC]

Pretty fertile however as I said I had just top dressed it about a year ago. Cant recall how much I put on it but it was like 30 tons I think. So i just another 12 this time was skeert id overdo it. Good crop growin dirt. corn soybeans maters, etc.

YOU PUT 850 LBS OF AMMONIUM NITRATE TO THE ACRE?