I'm wanting to plant some turnips this fall to help offset our shortage of hay.. I have a 65 acre field that is short season corn and I'm thinking we should start picking around the 20th of aug. So it will be corn stalks. Normally I would just put an electric fence arround it and let them graze the stalks but with the hay shortage I'm wanting more. I was thinking about no-tilling purple top turnips right into the corn stalks? How could I do that? We no longer have a no till drill because we broadcast and work in all our wheat. I was thinking just broadcasting the turnip Seed on top of the stalks and praying for a nice rain to get them up. Has anyone done this before? What would you do?
Grazing turnips
- Thread starter Tbrake
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Hook
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Depending on how long the field has been in corn, what kind of weed seed bank is expected, I would till it, broadcast and drag it. But I'm no farmer
wbvs58
Well-known member
I broadcast some turnips with some oats last autumn and then dragged with some old diamond harrows on some land I had just cleared and it all grew well.
As I was driving over existing pasture with the spreader a bit of the fine turnip seed must have dropped out and I got a good trail of turnips across the paddock as well.
I think if you just broadcast it and then put the cattle into the stubble for a couple of days to tramp it you would have good success.
Ken
As I was driving over existing pasture with the spreader a bit of the fine turnip seed must have dropped out and I got a good trail of turnips across the paddock as well.
I think if you just broadcast it and then put the cattle into the stubble for a couple of days to tramp it you would have good success.
Ken
Are these the same turnips that make a big bulb underground? Mmmmmmm! ;-)
wbvs58
Well-known member
Chuckie I think they are basically the same. The ones I put in grow that long carrot like bulb but are a bit stunted compared to the ones you buy at the greengrocer so I think are designed for cattle grazing or maybe it is just the lack of nutrients in my soil. I know the seed had some initials in front of it but I can't remember what they were.
My mate came up on the weekend and he cooked a stew in the camp oven and it was basically meat and turnips and it was like you say Mmmmmmmmm! but he brought the turnips with him, not the ones from my paddock.
Ken
My mate came up on the weekend and he cooked a stew in the camp oven and it was basically meat and turnips and it was like you say Mmmmmmmmm! but he brought the turnips with him, not the ones from my paddock.
Ken
hayray
Well-known member
I have broadcast them before on top of a tilled seed bed. I went to a cover crop seminar and I know people have broadcast tilliage radish with clovers, rye , triticale and a few others into existing corn for fall grazing.
I know this is not exactly on subject, but I love raw turnips. This would give me an excuse to walk and check the cows an extra time, and carry my pocket knife with me.
I guess this is the new meaning of "Peelem' and eatem'."
Sounds like a great stew!
I have never thought about sowing turnips for cows. I know that they love the root as well. I need to read and stop talking!
I guess this is the new meaning of "Peelem' and eatem'."
Sounds like a great stew!
I have never thought about sowing turnips for cows. I know that they love the root as well. I need to read and stop talking!
stocky
Well-known member
I know people who sow turnips with an airplane into corn stalks in late August. I also know people who broadcast them into corn stalks with a 4 wheeler or tractor or even put them in lime or sand or fertilize and spread them with a fertize buggy behind a tractor. All of these methods work great around here, if we get rain. If we do not get rain, even preparing a seed bed and putting alot into it will not work. It is a cheap way to get some extra food value into the corn field, but you cannot wait too late, or it will not make enough greens. The cattle love the turnip root, so they will dig and eat them all winter. Purple top is the variety to plant. I sow some rye into some newly cleared sprout ground every fall and I add a couple pounds of turnips to the acre. If you are sowing other crops, also, you will want to limit the amount of turnips you sow, because they become big and kill out your other crops, if you are only sowing turnips, 5 pounds to the acre works well, although some people use 10. If you get them too thick, they will not do well.
Thank you. That was exactly what I was wanting. I think I will just broadcast them once I get the corn off and pray for a rain to get them up. Will about sept. 1 here in se kansas be early enough? I think that should be plenty of time as long as we don't have a early frost. I think I will mix in a little wheat for a little more grazing
stocky
Well-known member
In SE Kansas, you are on about the same level as we are in SW Missouri. I would not wait any later than Sept 1 than you have to. I have sown them as late as the 15th of Sept and they come up and do well, but the earlier sprout, the more they will make to graze, if you get rain. If you sow late August, normally you catch the Sept rains to get them up and get them going. Too early in August and you get a light shower, they sprout, then die because no more rain for awhile. Turnips are generally pretty forgiving. MIxing wheat or rye with them is good.
