johnson grass

[dun]

I'm interested in it also. It seems like a decent alternative to Bermuda grass. I'm looking for something to fill the void of fescue during the summer months when fescue falls off around here. I have been looking at dallas grass also.

You might give some thought to the various bluestems. I'm shocked at the growth you get with no rain for a month and 100 plus days. My cows woudln;t used to eat it. This year I turned them into part of it and it was eat or starve because the fescue was burned up. Now thewy're eating the stuff like candy. The secret (I found out I think) is to graze it while it's only a foot to foot and half tall then graze it to about 6 inches. 3 weeks later you can turn them back in and the stuff ill be in the foot and a half range of growth

 

[Dixieangus]

Why would you want anything in your pasture that has the potential to harm, much less kill, your cattle?

Just askin'...

And one of the best reasons is when the thing can be cut or such and grow a foot in 2 weeks. With little rain and hoooooot days

 

[masteradeen2000]

http://repo.lib.auburn.edu/repo/bitstre ... sequence=1
http://repo.lib.auburn.edu/repo/bitstre ... sequence=1

Maybe needs a look again. Only green thing in southwest MO

 

[dun]

Maybe needs a look again. Only green thing in southwest MO

Other then weeds and tradtional WSG like big and little bluestem and indian grass

 

[upfrombottom]

Why would you want anything in your pasture that has the potential to harm, much less kill, your cattle?

Just askin'...

I feed it to my cows and it makes excellent hay. Don't see any in the pasture as the cows will eat it before they will anything else growing there. Is there a danger during a drought, not in the pasture because you won't find it. The largest danger is when there has been a long dry spell and then it rains. It is then recommended to wait a couple weeks before you cut it to bale.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Why would you want anything in your pasture that has the potential to harm, much less kill, your cattle?

Just askin'...

Alfalfa can harm and possibly kill but it sure makes good feed.
Water can kill too, but it is kinda basic to life.
Just sayin'...

Sudan makes GREAT hay. Wish I could get some right now. Prices are up and my usual guy is wanting to keep most of the hay he has grown so far. My experience is only on semi-desert range, don't know anything about irrigated/farmed pastures but there are patches of live Johnson grass down on the railroad right-of-way and when the cattle get out that is where they head first. Never had one get sick that I know of, trains do more damage than any Johnson grass. :bang:

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

True enough Hippie Rancher, alfalfa can cause bloat in beef cattle and you'd never want to allow them to graze a hayfield of fresh alfalfa.

In flipping back through Heather Thomas's Raising Beef Cattle I find no mention of Johnson Grass as either a recommended feed or as a noxious weed.

 

[dun]

True enough Hippie Rancher, alfalfa can cause bloat in beef cattle and you'd never want to allow them to graze a hayfield of fresh alfalfa.

In flipping back through Heather Thomas's Raising Beef Cattle I find no mention of Johnson Grass as either a recommended feed or as a noxious weed.

The noxisou weed is the classification by the state of Missouri. Proably because it's so invasive. I tthink serecia may be in the same category, if it isn;t it should be!

 

[Arkieman]

Any secret to putting the Johnson Grass up for hay? A guy right down from me has been cutting a big field of it and have considered asking him if he is selling. As best I can tell, he cuts, rakes and bales.

 

[TexasBred]

what are your experiences with this? How quick does it germinate and grow and its qualities for grazing

Dixie send them some Bahia Seed. That stuff will grow thru an 8 inch slab of concrete in a drought.

 

[Angus Cowman]

Any secret to putting the Johnson Grass up for hay? A guy right down from me has been cutting a big field of it and have considered asking him if he is selling. As best I can tell, he cuts, rakes and bales.

just cutting it before it goes to seed and making sure it is dried good
if the fields have had heavy nitrogen applied or has been stressed from excessive drought I would want to sample it for high nitrates to prevent nitrate poison

 

[upfrombottom]

Any secret to putting the Johnson Grass up for hay? A guy right down from me has been cutting a big field of it and have considered asking him if he is selling. As best I can tell, he cuts, rakes and bales.

It makes excellent hay and if it is cut and dried properly there is no danger in nitrate poisoning as the nitrates dissipate during the curing process. if you are going to make silage out of it , it's recommended the use a mower conditioner on it to remove most of the fluids and reduce the chances of prussic acid (nitrates).

 

[Angus Cowman]

Any secret to putting the Johnson Grass up for hay? A guy right down from me has been cutting a big field of it and have considered asking him if he is selling. As best I can tell, he cuts, rakes and bales.

It makes excellent hay and if it is cut and dried properly there is no danger in nitrate poisoning as the nitrates dissipate during the curing process. if you are going to make silage out of it , it's recommended the use a mower conditioner on it to remove most of the fluids and reduce the chances of prussic acid (nitrates).

Nitrates wiil NOT dissipate in the curing process
YES Prussic Acid will but the 2 are totally different

Nitrates retention can and will occur from heavy fertilzation of nitrogen and Stress on the plant

 

[Arkieman]

Any secret to putting the Johnson Grass up for hay? A guy right down from me has been cutting a big field of it and have considered asking him if he is selling. As best I can tell, he cuts, rakes and bales.

It makes excellent hay and if it is cut and dried properly there is no danger in nitrate poisoning as the nitrates dissipate during the curing process. if you are going to make silage out of it , it's recommended the use a mower conditioner on it to remove most of the fluids and reduce the chances of prussic acid (nitrates).

Nitrates wiil NOT dissipate in the curing process
YES Prussic Acid will but the 2 are totally different

Nitrates retention can and will occur from heavy fertilzation of nitrogen and Stress on the plant

This hasn't been fertilized. They just started the 2nd cutting yesterday. I'm going to stop in and talk to them about it.. Thanks for the info!

 

[Mat Man]

We have 2 tractors cutting today about 90 acres of Johnson Grass-2nd cutting

 

[ALACOWMAN]

How many of you are feeding or growing Johnson grass?

I am
I have several hundred acres of it in the summer on hayfields that comes on strong after the first cutting and in the fall and winter I graze it along with the stockpiled fescue
I am like Stocky I love it
you just have to manage it
one of the main things I have learned is you are better off to fertilize in the fall and it makes the chance of nitrate poisoning alot less

too answer your other ? You could consider fescue toxic also
so without fescue and johnson grass I would be hard pressed to run any cattle

and dallisgrass

 

[shaz]

How many of you are feeding or growing Johnson grass?

I am
I have several hundred acres of it in the summer on hayfields that comes on strong after the first cutting and in the fall and winter I graze it along with the stockpiled fescue
I am like Stocky I love it
you just have to manage it
one of the main things I have learned is you are better off to fertilize in the fall and it makes the chance of nitrate poisoning alot less

too answer your other ? You could consider fescue toxic also
so without fescue and johnson grass I would be hard pressed to run any cattle

and dallisgrass

Same here. I get one cutting of fesuce and the 2 or 3 more johnson grass. It keeps me in business in drought years when everyone else can't get hay. I've had some luck making it work in rotational grazing but it's usually put the cows on one day, pull them off the next.