Growing Perennial Peanut?

[culprit987]

Does anybody know about growing perennial peanut for hay or forage in south alabama. We are about 15 miles north of the alabama/florida boarder?

Not really planning on growing any, just want some info.

 

[Jogeephus]

A few years ago several people around here planted them and the quality was good but the yield didn't justify growing them when you could simply bale peanut hay in the fall after the peanuts were dug. It also appeared they had some serious problems with weeds in the fields. Most all the fields I can think of have been replaced with something else. One in particular was planted in pines and I can't say I"ve ever seen pines grow so fast. I don't know this for certain but just from observation I don't think they got over two cuttings a year on them.

 

[culprit987]

Yeah thats pretty much what i have been reading about it on many sites. Just wanted to hear some opinions. I really figured if it was a great thing, then a lot more people would be growing them.

 

[Jogeephus]

I think where it would shine is in square baling for horses as an alternative to alfalfa cubes. Just a side note, but a friend of mine's father is the one who first introduced it into the country many years ago. He's the one that has the trees growing on it. He has another "idle" field he uses as a food plot and the deer and turkey really like it.

 

[culprit987]

Yeah im sure that if you could get up a market for it, then you could do good on the horse hay.

It was really just wishful thinking that it could be planted and thrive around here. We also get most of our hay from the peanuts we pick, but we spend a bunch when we have to wrap all the bales. It would be nice to get some in the middle of the summer when it could dry good, not get any rain on it, and still have time to get it under a barn. That would be some good feed.

 

[Jogeephus]

Yeah its a lot easier to bale peanut hay in the fall after you dig them than it is to find the right conditions through the summer to get perenials to dry and get them put up.

How bout the warm season alfalfa. Anyone planted that around you yet? Hasn't been too successful here in spite of what the university people said - oh but they were also selling it too. :???:

 

[culprit987]

Nah i havent heard anyone mention it. Any idea which fared better between it and the perennial peanut?

 

[highgrit]

I tried the alfalfa here and had no luck years back. But it could of been just the year that I tried it.
Some years nothing will grow around here, between the lack of rain or the scorching heat.
We all need a little luck from mother nature.

 

[circlew]

I know a couple folks who have it around here. The only dairy in the area planted it and it has done excellent. Another guy planted it for his "deer farm" and it has done real well. Then another guy planted it and it didn't even come up. So who knows.

 

[Jogeephus]

From what I have seen the peanut has done much better overall. The people I know that did the alfalfa ended up turning it under after a year. The latest thing they told us to plant was giant miscanthus. With this we were guaranteed $10,000/acre but to plant it we had to pay them $25,000 and they would plant us a quarter acre of sprigs so we could then use this to plant up to 50 acres but no more or they would throw us in prison. For $50,000 we could plant up to 200 acres. It was a guaranteed deal too. You didn't have to do anything but bale it once a year and they guaranteed us they would buy it at the ethanol mill and the government was pushing it vouching for it. For some reason I was skeptical of this and didn't bite the hook. Maybe it was my aversion to making too much money and having to pay taxes on this incredible income but for whatever reason I didn't jump on the bandwagon and go green. Glad I didn't too because this mill recently went bankrupt because the whole system didn't work and it sunk taking with it $65 million worth of taxpayers money not to mention the money belonging to the people that believed in what a land grant university had promised them. Ironically, much of the parts of this plant came from a prior plant that Jimmy Carter threw money at that also went belly up some years ago.

 

[culprit987]

I know a couple folks who have it around here. The only dairy in the area planted it and it has done excellent. Another guy planted it for his "deer farm" and it has done real well. Then another guy planted it and it didn't even come up. So who knows.

If you dont mind me asking... What counties were these people planting in?

 

[circlew]

The dairy was in Covington County around the Opp community. The man whose alfalfa didn't grow is also in Covington County around the Red Level area. The fellow with the "deer farm" is located in Conecuh County around McKenzie.

 

[culprit987]

The dairy was in Covington County around the Opp community. The man whose alfalfa didn't grow is also in Covington County around the Red Level area. The fellow with the "deer farm" is located in Conecuh County around McKenzie.

Oh so it was the alfalfa and not the perennial peanut?

 

[circlew]

Sorry I should have been more clear. It was alfalfa. I don't know anyone who does perennial peanut.

 

[culprit987]

Were they grazing the alfalfa or baling it?

 

[circlew]

Bailing it. The guy that is working on his deer farm will have deer on it in Oct. Did yall get any of that bad weather?

 

[culprit987]

We got some hail last night that was aboout quarter size. I was in montgomery all day but it seems to have rained a decent amount down here. Still havent checked the gauge

 

[circlew]

The bad stuff missed us last night. I'm in Mckenzie. We got an inch today, a very good inch!

 

[JustSimmental]

Been growing Perennial Peanut since 1989. What kinda info do you need>?

Does anybody know about growing perennial peanut for hay or forage in south alabama. We are about 15 miles north of the alabama/florida boarder?

Not really planning on growing any, just want some info.

 

[culprit987]

Really wondering about the establishment of it and whether, in the long run is it really cost effective. I was really just wanting a general opinion, and i guess if you have been growing it for over twenty years, then you must believe in it.