mozark1234
Member
Hello everyone I am new here...I am re-posting a recent email conversation I had with the extension service in Missouri where my farm is. I presently live about 5 hours away and visit about 60 days per year until I can get out there full-time. The land is now being rented/grazed by 25 beef cow/calf and hay is fed about 270 days a year. There is year-round water. I need to get rid of the weeds and grow the fescue and that is my resolution for 2012 and beyond. This will reduce the amount of hay I need to transport locally from elsewhere and probably eliminate the need for a $baler/mower/rake.
cheers and nice to make your acquaintance:)
Re: Growing Hay
December 31, 2011 6:11 PMMessage body
I have turned in the soil sample at the Douglas County extension and will be happy to forward the results to you when it comes in around Jan 10th. I think the 2 main types of weeds I have are yellow sneeze weed and rag weed. I have been shopping small 10-20 gallon sprayers that I can use with herbicide 24D (no license required) and begin to spray the weeds next april/may and make more room for the fescue that is already growing. In the mean time...I am working to fix the roof on an out building where I plan to park a brush hog tractor if/when I can find one that is a good deal $$... and then mow before the weeds go to seed.
I am quite sure the soil test will indicate a lime deficiency...I cannot justify $3K expense for my 25 cow/calf operation and have all 90 acres professionally limed. I think the fescue will still grow well with the present PH, I really need to get rid of the weeds! I can add 40 lb bags of pelleted lime (over time) from Hirsch's in West Plains.
And really Once I add the cross fencing for rotation....That's my whole program summed up in one paragraph!!! I am still interested in attending the Grazing School in either Douglas/Howel/Oregon counties
I may very well become a small scale beef cattle rancher once I get rid of my city job down here in Memphis!
Happy New Year!!
Sent: Sunday, December 4, 2011 5:19 PM
Subject: Re: Growing Hay
The idea of feeding standing forage makes the best sense to me! However, I have a lot of work to do in the mean time! One of my most common weeds is (I think)
Helenium amarum (Raf.) H. Rock aka sneezeweed or yellow dick
I plan to learn when Helenium goes to seed and then mow prior to the weed seed date.
I also plan to add some forage seed (next spring) or possibly some lado white clover this winter.
For the past 9 years about 25 cow/calf have been grazing the 90 acres year-round and these have been fed hay by the rancher. I'm thinking this should have improved the soil but any nutrient benifits likely went to the weeds since quality forage is not present
I am considering a getting a used 40-50hp tractor and brush hog and then brush hog before the weeds go to seed next spring/summer.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=HEAM
I also have another type of weed out there (in abundance) but I have not been able to ID it yet.
I will try and turn in a good soil sample to the extension office in Ava this week.
Thanks Very Much!
Subject: RE: Growing Hay
It sounds like you are on the right track! Standing forage is the cheapest source of animal feed. In the Ozark region it is possible to graze 365 days out of the year and feed very small amounts of emergency feed. However, this takes some management to get to this point.
Weed control depends on what specific weed is in the pasture. It sounds like you might have several weeds present, but I cannot give you a specific control recommendation without knowing what types of weeds are there. I think that it would be best for you to focus on things that will enhance the health of the pasture. Management that promotes a healthy forage stand will allow the forage to “out compete” the weeds, which will decrease the weed problem over time.
First, conduct soil sampling. Forages have very specific growth requirements and soil sampling will help you to determine what nutrients are required for forage growth. There are a few weeds that have specific nutrient requirements and will not grow outside of these parameters; however, the majority of weeds have very broad nutrient needs – because of this the weed population will not disappear, but increasing the competitive advantage of the forage will decrease the weeds with time. You can get soil sampling equipment at your local Extension office. This link tells how to conduct soil sampling: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G9215 . Soil sampling can be conducted anytime during the year, and winter is the best time to apply limestone if needed. http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepd ... g09112.pdf
Secondly, following good grazing management practices will help the forage to recover quickly from grazing. Grazing the forage so that a small amount of leaf area remains, and allowing adequate rest time will help the plant shoots and roots to recover from the grazing event. Overgrazing, grazing too short too often, can have lasting negative effects on the forage stand and can also lead to weed encroachment – anytime the forage stand has open spaces weeds will germinate in these spaces. Establishing a good paddock rotation and regular monitoring will help this.
Weeds can also be controlled with strategic mowing/brush hogging. I would like to emphasize the word strategic, because in order for this to be effective mowing must be done before the weeds spread its seed. Weeds can produce thousands of seeds in its lifecycle, mowing just before seed set greatly reduces the amount of seeds that will germinate. Animals will also eat a lot of “weeds” which can help with this too; however, mowing may still be needed strategically. Woody weeds can also be controlled by frequent, close mowing which depletes the root reserve.
You mentioned seeding different grasses. Reseeding forage stands will help to remove spaces for weed germination. It is too late in the year for planting; however, it is a good time to inventory the density of the cool season pastures (tall fescue, orchardgrass, and clover) to determine if seeding is needed next spring. http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4652
Promoting a healthy forage stand is the first step in weed control. After you implement these control strategies you may still want to use a herbicide to get good control over the weeds. I can help you with the herbicide selection and spray timing if you let me know what types of weeds are present.
You might want to consider attending a Grazing School. This school is 2 ½ days long, and covers the basics of plant health, grazing, animal health, fencing, and water systems. Many producers, beginners and experts, find the information helpful. The grazing schools are conducted at several location from spring to fall. If you are interested in attending one please let me know and I will send you the schedule after it is determined next year. Additionally, you will likely need to apply herbicides if you want to control troublesome weeds. Many of the chemicals to control tough weeds are restricted-use. To purchase and use restricted-use chemicals you will need a private pesticide applicator license. You can get the license at any Extension office by purchasing a training manual and watching a training video. The training is 2 ½ to 3 hours long, so please call ahead for available times, the cost is approximately $12.
Please let me know if you have other questions or need more information. Once I know what weeds need to be controlled we can work out a more detailed plan.
THANK YOU!
Subject: Growing Hay
I got your email address from the Missouri extension web site. I will not be able to attend the hay program but I was wondering if you could send me a link or two to get me started. I am new to all this but have put my mind to learn how to be a good rancher (without going broke). I do not have a tractor or any equipment...yet.
I have been renting the pasture for 9 years to a local rancher who feeds his own hay.
I have about 90 acres of unimproved acres (weeds) in Douglas county MO. I would like to improve the grass with seeding tall fescue, Caucasian bluestem, bermudagrass, orchardgrass and/or white clover.
The reason I want to grow the grass is to limit the heavy machinery ($) needed for a baling operation. I figure it is less labor to grow the grass and let the cows eat it while rotating thru the padocks. So I need to learn how to get rid of the weeds and replace with good forage grass.
Any pointers in this direction would be great:)
Thanks and Best rgds!
cheers and nice to make your acquaintance:)
Re: Growing Hay
December 31, 2011 6:11 PMMessage body
I have turned in the soil sample at the Douglas County extension and will be happy to forward the results to you when it comes in around Jan 10th. I think the 2 main types of weeds I have are yellow sneeze weed and rag weed. I have been shopping small 10-20 gallon sprayers that I can use with herbicide 24D (no license required) and begin to spray the weeds next april/may and make more room for the fescue that is already growing. In the mean time...I am working to fix the roof on an out building where I plan to park a brush hog tractor if/when I can find one that is a good deal $$... and then mow before the weeds go to seed.
I am quite sure the soil test will indicate a lime deficiency...I cannot justify $3K expense for my 25 cow/calf operation and have all 90 acres professionally limed. I think the fescue will still grow well with the present PH, I really need to get rid of the weeds! I can add 40 lb bags of pelleted lime (over time) from Hirsch's in West Plains.
And really Once I add the cross fencing for rotation....That's my whole program summed up in one paragraph!!! I am still interested in attending the Grazing School in either Douglas/Howel/Oregon counties
I may very well become a small scale beef cattle rancher once I get rid of my city job down here in Memphis!
Happy New Year!!
Sent: Sunday, December 4, 2011 5:19 PM
Subject: Re: Growing Hay
The idea of feeding standing forage makes the best sense to me! However, I have a lot of work to do in the mean time! One of my most common weeds is (I think)
Helenium amarum (Raf.) H. Rock aka sneezeweed or yellow dick
I plan to learn when Helenium goes to seed and then mow prior to the weed seed date.
I also plan to add some forage seed (next spring) or possibly some lado white clover this winter.
For the past 9 years about 25 cow/calf have been grazing the 90 acres year-round and these have been fed hay by the rancher. I'm thinking this should have improved the soil but any nutrient benifits likely went to the weeds since quality forage is not present
I am considering a getting a used 40-50hp tractor and brush hog and then brush hog before the weeds go to seed next spring/summer.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=HEAM
I also have another type of weed out there (in abundance) but I have not been able to ID it yet.
I will try and turn in a good soil sample to the extension office in Ava this week.
Thanks Very Much!
Subject: RE: Growing Hay
It sounds like you are on the right track! Standing forage is the cheapest source of animal feed. In the Ozark region it is possible to graze 365 days out of the year and feed very small amounts of emergency feed. However, this takes some management to get to this point.
Weed control depends on what specific weed is in the pasture. It sounds like you might have several weeds present, but I cannot give you a specific control recommendation without knowing what types of weeds are there. I think that it would be best for you to focus on things that will enhance the health of the pasture. Management that promotes a healthy forage stand will allow the forage to “out compete” the weeds, which will decrease the weed problem over time.
First, conduct soil sampling. Forages have very specific growth requirements and soil sampling will help you to determine what nutrients are required for forage growth. There are a few weeds that have specific nutrient requirements and will not grow outside of these parameters; however, the majority of weeds have very broad nutrient needs – because of this the weed population will not disappear, but increasing the competitive advantage of the forage will decrease the weeds with time. You can get soil sampling equipment at your local Extension office. This link tells how to conduct soil sampling: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G9215 . Soil sampling can be conducted anytime during the year, and winter is the best time to apply limestone if needed. http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepd ... g09112.pdf
Secondly, following good grazing management practices will help the forage to recover quickly from grazing. Grazing the forage so that a small amount of leaf area remains, and allowing adequate rest time will help the plant shoots and roots to recover from the grazing event. Overgrazing, grazing too short too often, can have lasting negative effects on the forage stand and can also lead to weed encroachment – anytime the forage stand has open spaces weeds will germinate in these spaces. Establishing a good paddock rotation and regular monitoring will help this.
Weeds can also be controlled with strategic mowing/brush hogging. I would like to emphasize the word strategic, because in order for this to be effective mowing must be done before the weeds spread its seed. Weeds can produce thousands of seeds in its lifecycle, mowing just before seed set greatly reduces the amount of seeds that will germinate. Animals will also eat a lot of “weeds” which can help with this too; however, mowing may still be needed strategically. Woody weeds can also be controlled by frequent, close mowing which depletes the root reserve.
You mentioned seeding different grasses. Reseeding forage stands will help to remove spaces for weed germination. It is too late in the year for planting; however, it is a good time to inventory the density of the cool season pastures (tall fescue, orchardgrass, and clover) to determine if seeding is needed next spring. http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4652
Promoting a healthy forage stand is the first step in weed control. After you implement these control strategies you may still want to use a herbicide to get good control over the weeds. I can help you with the herbicide selection and spray timing if you let me know what types of weeds are present.
You might want to consider attending a Grazing School. This school is 2 ½ days long, and covers the basics of plant health, grazing, animal health, fencing, and water systems. Many producers, beginners and experts, find the information helpful. The grazing schools are conducted at several location from spring to fall. If you are interested in attending one please let me know and I will send you the schedule after it is determined next year. Additionally, you will likely need to apply herbicides if you want to control troublesome weeds. Many of the chemicals to control tough weeds are restricted-use. To purchase and use restricted-use chemicals you will need a private pesticide applicator license. You can get the license at any Extension office by purchasing a training manual and watching a training video. The training is 2 ½ to 3 hours long, so please call ahead for available times, the cost is approximately $12.
Please let me know if you have other questions or need more information. Once I know what weeds need to be controlled we can work out a more detailed plan.
THANK YOU!
Subject: Growing Hay
I got your email address from the Missouri extension web site. I will not be able to attend the hay program but I was wondering if you could send me a link or two to get me started. I am new to all this but have put my mind to learn how to be a good rancher (without going broke). I do not have a tractor or any equipment...yet.
I have been renting the pasture for 9 years to a local rancher who feeds his own hay.
I have about 90 acres of unimproved acres (weeds) in Douglas county MO. I would like to improve the grass with seeding tall fescue, Caucasian bluestem, bermudagrass, orchardgrass and/or white clover.
The reason I want to grow the grass is to limit the heavy machinery ($) needed for a baling operation. I figure it is less labor to grow the grass and let the cows eat it while rotating thru the padocks. So I need to learn how to get rid of the weeds and replace with good forage grass.
Any pointers in this direction would be great:)
Thanks and Best rgds!
