Fresh Grass

[happer]

I can grow grass year round with an analysis of 26 % CP, and RFV of 163. This was sent out to a lab . What do you all think would be best doing, selling to a dairy, or feeding to steers. It costs me less than .20 cents to grow 13 pounds of grass.

 

[Anonymous]

WHERE ARE YOU AT? I would love to grow grass year round!!

 

[happer]

In the vast wastelands of West Texas.

 

[Anonymous]

We get about seven months of good growth and that is it. Tried some "stockpiling" this past year worked pretty well..

 

[NorCalFarms]

Um, that is some pretty hot grass. What kind of grass?

Where in West Texas? I know the dairy expansion going on in the Panhandle is phenomenal. I thought most of the grazing dairy area was eastern TX.

Anyway if you really do have that high of protein grass, you'd be wasting it on beef cows. See about custom grazing it for a dairy. They can pay more for good feed that a beef outfit. Do you irrigate your grass?

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

If you grow grass like that in west Texas you must have a watering system of some sort. Never saw grass grow like that in arid areas of the southwest.

 

[happer]

I did this project in college several years ago. I was told that this could impact the area alfalfa sales. Right now looks like the prime opportunity to start this here. The cp. is 26%, adf is 23, ndf is 40, fat is 2.94, tdn is 69 and rfv is 163. Cp probably would be lowered if i let it grow two more days. I dont have a dairy near here. Will work on beef cattle as a beginning.

 

[Dave]

I know that you can grow grass with a crude protein of 26% because I have tested it that high before. It has a lot to do with the stage of growth at the time of harvesting. However, any time you put enough nitrogen on to get that high of a protein number you risk nitrate poisoning.
Dave

 

[happer]

Part of the project was limiting nitrogen. I really did not use a commercial fertilizer. I used liquid kelp. Nitrogen is only 1.4% . Used kelp because of it vitamins, minerals, and amino acid content. Even the kelp has a protein content to it.