My stocking rate

[BFE]

Naw I just broadcast it on top of the ground it always looks like 100% germination.

When do you spread it?

I probably plant too early (but I'm not making a crop, just grazing). I like it spread by end of September. Used to wait till it was calling for rain. I have found it can lay there nd wait for rain. I just go to the elevator and get bin run wheat. Plant about 100-120 pounds to the acre. I have a 500 pound cone spreader. The kids have talked me into renting a buggy this year. Partially to avoid shoveling the stuff, and partially because I'm doing more acres. I'll just have the buggy filled. Not sure it really saves much. My experience is that last 3 weeks of hay feeding when you wish you could stop, but spring just ain't there.......I can open up my wheat pasture, and the cows just quit coming to hay. I have also put up a creep gate, so fall calves could have access all the time. I wouldn't swear weaning weights were improved by that though. I have also bout quit fall calving. Still have a few every year, but it's a cow that got out of cycle. Cow leaves in the spring when the calf is weaned, so I don't fool with that, for no more fall calves than I have.

Are you spreading the wheat on grazed down pasture, crop fields or what? You have my gears turning now.

 

[Bigfoot]

When do you spread it?

I probably plant too early (but I'm not making a crop, just grazing). I like it spread by end of September. Used to wait till it was calling for rain. I have found it can lay there nd wait for rain. I just go to the elevator and get bin run wheat. Plant about 100-120 pounds to the acre. I have a 500 pound cone spreader. The kids have talked me into renting a buggy this year. Partially to avoid shoveling the stuff, and partially because I'm doing more acres. I'll just have the buggy filled. Not sure it really saves much. My experience is that last 3 weeks of hay feeding when you wish you could stop, but spring just ain't there.......I can open up my wheat pasture, and the cows just quit coming to hay. I have also put up a creep gate, so fall calves could have access all the time. I wouldn't swear weaning weights were improved by that though. I have also bout quit fall calving. Still have a few every year, but it's a cow that got out of cycle. Cow leaves in the spring when the calf is weaned, so I don't fool with that, for no more fall calves than I have.

Are you spreading the wheat on grazed down pasture, crop fields or what? You have my gears turning now.

Grazed down pasture. The fields I do it on, are just about all crabgrass.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I probably plant too early (but I'm not making a crop, just grazing). I like it spread by end of September. Used to wait till it was calling for rain. I have found it can lay there nd wait for rain. I just go to the elevator and get bin run wheat. Plant about 100-120 pounds to the acre. I have a 500 pound cone spreader. The kids have talked me into renting a buggy this year. Partially to avoid shoveling the stuff, and partially because I'm doing more acres. I'll just have the buggy filled. Not sure it really saves much. My experience is that last 3 weeks of hay feeding when you wish you could stop, but spring just ain't there.......I can open up my wheat pasture, and the cows just quit coming to hay. I have also put up a creep gate, so fall calves could have access all the time. I wouldn't swear weaning weights were improved by that though. I have also bout quit fall calving. Still have a few every year, but it's a cow that got out of cycle. Cow leaves in the spring when the calf is weaned, so I don't fool with that, for no more fall calves than I have.

Are you spreading the wheat on grazed down pasture, crop fields or what? You have my gears turning now.

Grazed down pasture. The fields I do it on, are just about all crabgrass.

I love crab grass planted Red River in 2012 and it has about taken over.

 

[chaded]

Bigfoot, you had a thread in the Spring titled "grass woes" where the last update was about halfway through May and you had not had any good growth yet. A couple questions, when did things eventually pick up, and could grazing the fescue down be part of the issue for slow growth or was it just weather related?

 

[BFE]

In my experience, fescue can be grazed pretty hard from middle of April until middle of October if the cattle are pulled for the winter. Used to have a couple summer pastures about ten miles away that I did this with. The spring growth was phenomenal with about 50# of N and no traffic all winter.

I have a stockpile for winter surrounded by corn fields, I'll feed hay on the stalks and give them the grass when the weather suits. Was going to spread oats/turnips with urea over the top of 3' corn but my seed mix didn't make it in time, had to hustle to get the N spread before the corn got too tall. I may spread some wheat as soon as I get the corn shelled, try to get more grazing on those stalk fields.

 

[BFE]

Bigfoot, you had a thread in the Spring titled "grass woes" where the last update was about halfway through May and you had not had any good growth yet. A couple questions, when did things eventually pick up, and could grazing the fescue down be part of the issue for slow growth or was it just weather related?

Not BF, but grass growth was very slow here this spring. Too cold.

 

[chaded]

Bigfoot, you had a thread in the Spring titled "grass woes" where the last update was about halfway through May and you had not had any good growth yet. A couple questions, when did things eventually pick up, and could grazing the fescue down be part of the issue for slow growth or was it just weather related?

Not BF, but grass growth was very slow here this spring. Too cold.

I actually starting grazing close to a month early this year compared to last and the cows never could keep up. Just goes to show how each place is different.

 

[kenny thomas]

How much does bin run wheat cost? It is not available here. Nobody grows any.

 

[BFE]

How much does bin run wheat cost? It is not available here. Nobody grows any.

Local elevator is paying around $5.25. Don't know what they'd sell for I'm guessing .25-.50 cents over so around $12 an acre at 120 lbs.

 

[kenny thomas]

How much does bin run wheat cost? It is not available here. Nobody grows any.

Local elevator is paying around $5.25. Don't know what they'd sell for I'm guessing .25-.50 cents over so around $12 an acre at 120 lbs.

Thank you. I figured 5.50 plus.

 

[BFE]

I think I may try and spread some on a beanfield that joins a pasture, and maybe spread the pasture too. I'm hoping the current summer pasture lasts until October, then move to the beanfield pasture for a couple months and then bring them to the home place that's stockpile/cornstalks. Move back to the sewed wheat in March/April before they go back to the summer place. Maybe get an extra 4-6 weeks from the wheat/pasture. If it works for Bigfoot, should work for me.

 

[Bigfoot]

Bigfoot, you had a thread in the Spring titled "grass woes" where the last update was about halfway through May and you had not had any good growth yet. A couple questions, when did things eventually pick up, and could grazing the fescue down be part of the issue for slow growth or was it just weather related?

We gettin rain by the buckets, and temps in the 90's. Crabgrass is growing so fast ypu can almost stand and watch it grow.

 

[Bigfoot]

How much does bin run wheat cost? It is not available here. Nobody grows any.

It was $5 and change per bushel. I had about $12 per acre in it.

 

[kenny thomas]

Bigfoot, you had a thread in the Spring titled "grass woes" where the last update was about halfway through May and you had not had any good growth yet. A couple questions, when did things eventually pick up, and could grazing the fescue down be part of the issue for slow growth or was it just weather related?

We gettin rain by the buckets, and temps in the 90's. Crabgrass is growing so fast ypu can almost stand and watch it grow.

I can remember when I thought crabgrass was a bad thing. Years ago an old timer told me if cattle could make it till crabgrass time they would get fat then. He was totally correct.

 

[Bigfoot]

Bigfoot, you had a thread in the Spring titled "grass woes" where the last update was about halfway through May and you had not had any good growth yet. A couple questions, when did things eventually pick up, and could grazing the fescue down be part of the issue for slow growth or was it just weather related?

We gettin rain by the buckets, and temps in the 90's. Crabgrass is growing so fast ypu can almost stand and watch it grow.

I can remember when I thought crabgrass was a bad thing. Years ago an old timer told me if cattle could make it till crabgrass time they would get fat then. He was totally correct.

It comes late and leaves early. The wheat helps with the comes late.

 

[SmokinM]

Crabgrass here is non existent this year and is really putting the hurt on summer grazing. No rain and high 90s temps. It won't get over 2" tall. Haven't mowed the yard in a month. Used to count on crabgrass outpacing the cattle all of June,July, and August and making some nice second cut hay. Those days are gone for now.

 

[Allenw]

I spread urea always on Labor day weekend to stockpile. Wonder what it would do if I spread that early.

If you have reliable moisture and the temperature is moderating you should be good. Cereal rye is tougher then wheat, will grow to colder temperatures and will root deeper. Oats will make a lot of forage planted early in the fall but may freeze out.