Kudzu as feed?

[andybob]

Does anyone graze Kudzu? if so what are the pros and cons?
There is a field overgrown with Kudzu and as I know nothing about it, I was wondering how safe it is to graze before the frost kills it off for winter.

 

[Beefy]

cows love kudzu and it is very nutritious. constant grazing will kill the kudzu by depleting the root reserves. if you dont graze it constantly, though, it may eat your cows.

 

[dun]

http://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/rx-grazing/shrubs/Kudzu.htm

Fom the U of AR:

Several different forage species can cause legume bloat including alfalfa, ladino or white clover and persian clover. Other legumes contain leaf tannins that help break up the stable foam in the rumen and are rarely associated with bloat. These tannin-containing legumes include arrowleaf clover, berseem clover, birdsfoot trefoil, sericea lespedeza, annual lespedeza and crownvetch. Similarly, tropical legumes such as kudzu, cowpea, perennial peanut and alyceclover rarely cause bloat.

 

[Farminlund]

It may look like a lot of forage - but when you let the cows at it, it goes away like a magic act. Fence it in & let them have constant grazing & there will be no more - much like the other scourge Johnson Grass.

 

[andybob]

Thak you all for the information, I was particularly worried about bloat, the vine is about chest high and has smothered two four wheeler trailers parked in the middle of the field (not mine!)

 

[LonghornRanch]

Kudzu is great forage. A Kudzu vine can grow 3 feet in one day. Leave it alone for a month you will be shock at what is will cover.

 

[alabama]

Kudzu was imported from China to be used as a forage crop for cattle. And yes, it is great cattle feed but it had no natural enemy in the US except the cow. So now, it takes over everything except cow pastures.

I think now with Soybean rust in the lower US that Kudzu may start to decline.

 

[C HOLLAND]

Kudzu was imported from China to be used as a forage crop for cattle. And yes, it is great cattle feed but it had no natural enemy in the US except the cow. So now, it takes over everything except cow pastures.

I think now with Soybean rust in the lower US that Kudzu may start to decline.

John, my Dad helped plant the stuff here in lower Alabama just before WW2, but don't hold it against him :lol:

I know one thing for sure, goat farmers love it and I know of a few that plant it.

 

[gberry]

How do you plant it? My guess would be to spread some on a field and try to kill it with a disc. Is this correct?

 

[C HOLLAND]

How do you plant it? My guess would be to spread some on a field and try to kill it with a disc. Is this correct?

I really don't know if you can get seed for it or not, I dont want it anytime soon. You got it right about if you can kill it though, I do know if the goats are on it for a long time, they can eliminate it.

 

[MikeC]

How do you plant it? My guess would be to spread some on a field and try to kill it with a disc. Is this correct?

As someone once said on here before.............

Just throw it down and RUN! :lol:

 

[C HOLLAND]

Mike did you read the post in sales.

 

[MikeC]

Mike did you read the post in sales.

Yes

 

[VAStocker]

You can get the seed around here from the soil and water conservation department people use it as a ground cover to stop erosion. But as you already know it takes over every thing it will cover a tree in a matter of a few months and evetually kill all other vegitation.