Need crop suggestion

[coyotefur]

I have a 3 acre pasture that im wanting to put into some sort of crop. I have tractor, tiller, plows etc... but no specialized harvesting equipment. I also want to use the crop for winter cattle feed.

Do you guys/gals have some suggestions?

I'm not looking to buy any major $$$ equipment.

Thanks
Dustin

 

[Son of Butch]

3 acres of zucchini would be fun/not
3 acres of black walnut trees, but would take a few decades to harvest and buy feed with the proceeds
Coconut milk 14 oz can 99 cents... there you go... 3 acres of coconut trees and winter your calves on coconut milk.

 

[coyotefur]

3 acres of zucchini would be fun/not
3 acres of black walnut trees, but would take a few decades to harvest and buy feed with the proceeds
Coconut milk 14 oz can 99 cents... there you go... 3 acres of coconut trees and winter your calves on coconut milk.

Serious comments only...

 

[Craig Miller]

Turnips?

 

[Son of Butch]

3 acres.... tillage equipment, but no planter....no harvesting equipment.
Reseed for pasture.

 

[coyotefur]

Turnips?

I'm looking into this. I think turnips might be perfect.

Thanks
Dustin

 

[M-5]

3 acres.... tillage equipment, but no planter....no harvesting equipment.
Reseed for pasture.

Most everything that is available for cows can be broadcast. He does have harvest equipment most people call them COWS

 

[Son of Butch]

If you have a few acres that won't get damaged by cattle, why not a few black walnut trees or hardwood tree
of your choice along perimeter for future generation?
3 acres is awfully small for any type of field cropping.

 

[M-5]

If you have a few acres that won't get damaged by cattle, why not a few black walnut trees or hardwood tree
of your choice along perimeter for future generation?
3 acres is awfully small for any type of field cropping.

Maybe in Minnesota but the young man is using what he has to work with and iirc he has less than 10 cows so 3 acres is actually a decent rotation field . Turnips or kale or any winter forage works well in the south and middle. Why are you degrading him because he only has small operation.

 

[coyotefur]

If you have a few acres that won't get damaged by cattle, why not a few black walnut trees or hardwood tree
of your choice along perimeter for future generation?
3 acres is awfully small for any type of field cropping.

Maybe in Minnesota but the young man is using what he has to work with and iirc he has less than 10 cows so 3 acres is actually a decent rotation field . Turnips or kale or any winter forage works well in the south and middle. Why are you degrading him because he only has small operation.

Thinking the same thing M-5.

I have 165 acres total. Mainly used for hunting. 12 acres pasture and 3 acres for winter pasture with barn, water, electricity etc. I do cut hay. If i can get around feeding as much hay in the winter...maybe and just maybe I can get more cows. Of course with Son of Butch's permission...

 

[littletom]

Fescue low pain in rear. Keep them off till jan.

 

[Son of Butch]

If you have a few acres that won't get damaged by cattle, why not a few black walnut trees or hardwood tree
of your choice along perimeter for future generation?
3 acres is awfully small for any type of field cropping.

Maybe in Minnesota but the young man is using what he has to work with and iirc he has less than 10 cows so 3 acres is actually a decent rotation field . Turnips or kale or any winter forage works well in the south and middle. Why are you degrading him because he only has small operation.

I'm not degrading him... I have no idea his age or farm size, 3 acres is small no matter if you live in Rhode Island
or Montana. To want to take 3 acres out of pasture and switch it to crop production with no planter or harvest equipment makes no sense to me. Obviously this pasture must already be fenced, but he seems to think of it as worthless as a pasture to want to crop it.

What is wrong with trees?
Don't they celebrate Christmas down south too?
He must have access to water cattle on these 3 acres and since there is water available at the location.
Why not nursery trees for home owners or landscapers?

 

[M-5]

If you have a few acres that won't get damaged by cattle, why not a few black walnut trees or hardwood tree
of your choice along perimeter for future generation?
3 acres is awfully small for any type of field cropping.

Maybe in Minnesota but the young man is using what he has to work with and iirc he has less than 10 cows so 3 acres is actually a decent rotation field . Turnips or kale or any winter forage works well in the south and middle. Why are you degrading him because he only has small operation.

I'm not degrading him... I have no idea his age or farm size, 3 acres is small no matter if you live in Rhode Island
or Montana. To want to take 3 acres out of pasture and switch it to crop production with no planter or harvest equipment makes no sense to me. Obviously this pasture must already be fenced, but he seems to think of it as worthless as a pasture to want to crop it.

What is wrong with trees?
Don't they celebrate Christmas down south too?

Yes 3 acres is small , but op stated he want to put a crop for winter feed for cattle. Do yankee cattle eat trees ? Could even plant corn and unless his arms are broke it can be pulled by hand , planting turnips corn or any crop can be done by hand no planter needed. Only need tillage equipment which op stated he has .

 

[M-5]

If u can't comprehend what he is wanting to do why offer ridiculous suggestion and allow people that have an understanding of it to answer with something he could use.

 

[M-5]

If you have a few acres that won't get damaged by cattle, why not a few black walnut trees or hardwood tree
of your choice along perimeter for future generation?
3 acres is awfully small for any type of field cropping.

Maybe in Minnesota but the young man is using what he has to work with and iirc he has less than 10 cows so 3 acres is actually a decent rotation field . Turnips or kale or any winter forage works well in the south and middle. Why are you degrading him because he only has small operation.

I'm not degrading him... I have no idea his age or farm size, 3 acres is small no matter if you live in Rhode Island
or Montana. To want to take 3 acres out of pasture and switch it to crop production with no planter or harvest equipment makes no sense to me. Obviously this pasture must already be fenced, but he seems to think of it as worthless as a pasture to want to crop it.

What is wrong with trees?
Don't they celebrate Christmas down south too?
He must have access to water cattle on these 3 acres and since there is water available at the location.
Why not nursery trees for home owners or landscapers?

I can deduce he has about 150acres of woods already planting more trees of winter pasture is not in the cards I don't Imagine

 

[Son of Butch]

Yes 3 acres is small , but op stated he want to put a crop for winter feed for cattle.
Could plant corn and unless his arms are broke it can be pulled by hand... any crop can be done by hand no planter needed.

LOL
3 acres of hand planted, hand harvest corn... you can buy corn $3.75 bushel
You'll kill him for a few dollars net profit on corn, when he could work fewer hours and net more at McDonald's.
Take the McDonald's money and buy hay for the winter.
I don't know why he hates that 3 acre pasture so much.

 

[Tbrake]

I planted 100 acres of turnips at the rate of 4 pounds per acre. I broadcast them into standing corn stalks late last August. I have wintered 60 cows on them for less than .20$ per day. And the cows are in phenomenal condition going into calving season. I plan to plant about 500 acres the same way next fall. Not sure on your climate, but it warked great here. On a small pasture like you are talking, I would highly recommend strip grazing it to maximize the utilization. I strip grazed mine till about jan 1 then I started calving. Week old calves must be immune to shock, the fence was tore down every day

 

[M-5]

Yes 3 acres is small , but op stated he want to put a crop for winter feed for cattle.
Could plant corn and unless his arms are broke it can be pulled by hand... any crop can be done by hand no planter needed.

LOL
3 acres of hand planted, hand harvest corn... you can buy corn $3.75 bushel
You'll kill him for a few dollars net profit on corn, when he could work fewer hours and net more at McDonald's.
Take the McDonald's money and buy hay for the winter.
I don't know why he hates that 3 acre pasture so much.

You have no idea what planting a cover crop is apparently. And 2 to 3 acre gardens pea patchs are not uncommon here and worked by hand all the time by alot of folks that are retired and usually in their 70's . Have you ever had to do manual labor?

 

[Craig Miller]

Yes 3 acres is small , but op stated he want to put a crop for winter feed for cattle.
Could plant corn and unless his arms are broke it can be pulled by hand... any crop can be done by hand no planter needed.

LOL
3 acres of hand planted, hand harvest corn... you can buy corn $3.75 bushel
You'll kill him for a few dollars net profit on corn, when he could work fewer hours and net more at McDonald's.
Take the McDonald's money and buy hay for the winter.
I don't know why he hates that 3 acre pasture so much.

You have no idea what planting a cover crop is apparently. And 2 to 3 acre gardens pea patchs are not uncommon here and worked by hand all the time by alot of folks that are retired and usually in their 70's . Have you ever had to do manual labor?

Peas is another but more of a late spring to early summer crop. Never studied much on feedng peas to cows but I do know they will go straight to the pea patch if they can

 

[Son of Butch]

I can deduce he has about 150 acres of woods already planting more trees of winter pasture is not in the cards I don't Imagine

Big difference between woods and cultivated nursery trees.

I don't know why reseeding to improve pasture is off the table as an option or how turnips provide winter feed for cattle. Aren't turnips usually double cropped by planting in the summer following a wheat crop for winter grazing until
about Christmas? What do you do with the 3 acres the following spring?