Need crop suggestion

[Son of Butch]

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 a lot 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

Yes I'm in the dark about converting a pasture to a cover crop.
Hate manual labor, so many more profitable ways to spend hours than toiling needlessly by hand with low value crop
such as field corn.

How do peas or turnips provide feed for the winter?

 

[M-5]

You plant a summer crop of millet or another variety of summer annual. While he is in the fescue belt using winter annuals and summer annual is done every single year . Not all pasture is created equal. Actually turnips can be seeded without tillage and it helps with compaction. Turnips are planted in Fall along with wheat oats and rye

 

[M-5]

Purple top makes a root they love as well as the tops . They provide high quality forage

 

[Son of Butch]

Turnips?

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

Thanks
Dustin

How are turnips perfect?
Can perennial grasses be seeded along with the turnips so that you'll have a usable pasture the following year?

 

[Craig Miller]

Turnips?

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

Thanks
Dustin

How are turnips perfect?
Can perennial grasses be seeded along with the turnips so that you'll have a usable pasture the following year?

Which ones do you use?

 

[M-5]

Turnips?

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

Thanks
Dustin

How are turnips perfect?
Can perennial grasses be seeded along with the turnips so that you'll have a usable pasture the following year?

Yes , and can be broadcast again next fall .

 

[Son of Butch]

corn, soybeans and winter hardy alfalfa/tall fescue/northern orchard grass with oats as a nurse crop.
thinking of replacing oats with a few pounds of Italian rye, but I hear it can lodge pretty bad, might stick with oats.
I like timothy in the mix but tonnage too low

 

[Craig Miller]

Lodge? You have all that planted together or in different areas

 

[callmefence]

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

If you're just looking to feed cows I can't see doing anything except fall oats with maybe some clover.

If you're trying to actually harvest a summer crop and feed what's left. ....boy idk. Sweet corn seed would be awful expensive to just go slinging it out. Dent corn wouldn't be worth harvesting by hand...for that matter neither would sweet corn. Cowpeas would work but I don't know they would be much good for winter grazing. Turnips are cheap, can be just slung out and I like them. So do cows especially after they get a freeze on them.

Although you might consider 1/8 acre for a garden. And double crop the rest with Millet or haygrazer and oats in the fall.

3 acres won't feed many. But a field that size is good for creeping calves.
I use a hot wire about 3'.

If you have mechanical skills
Usable grain drills can be found very cheap.
Often near scrap prices.

 

[ddd75]

triticale

 

[Allenw]

Stockpile the grass already there for winter grazing. The turnips could be planted with oats, wheat, rye, or triticale or a mix of all. You can graze the winter annuals two or three days a week using them as a protein supplement and make them go further.

Why can't the woods be grazed?

 

[Texasmark]

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.

......and/or because he just now joined this forum, like he was a new kid on the block, inexperienced, dumb, etc., etc., having absolutely nothing to do with his abilities in the ag. world. You must be one of the SAs that picked on me when I first joined this forum.....about 2-4-D not having carryover, which it does.

 

[TexasBred]

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?

Long ago when times were really hard and dad worked away from home my mom grew about 2 acres of tomatoes, sold them and bought a new ford sedan for the family and we ate tomatoes in just about every form imaginable. . :nod: :nod:

 

[Craig Miller]

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?

Long ago when times were really hard and dad worked away from home my mom grew about 2 acres of tomatoes, sold them and bought a new ford sedan for the family and we ate tomatoes in just about every form imaginable. . :nod: :nod:

That's a lot of maters. We plant about 25 plants every year and it makes a lot.

 

[M-5]

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?

Long ago when times were really hard and dad worked away from home my mom grew about 2 acres of tomatoes, sold them and bought a new ford sedan for the family and we ate tomatoes in just about every form imaginable. . :nod: :nod:

Tb it's apparent that in Minnesota folks are born with silver spoons. Only 35 yrs ago we used a hoe to get weeds out of a couple hundred acres of soybeans , and pulled weeds out of peanuts with several tractors setting at the house. My grandmother tended 5 acres of tobacco with a mule and 3 toddlers . Lack of hard work makes people think they are superior to others .

 

[BRYANT]

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

This may be great advice BUT we don't have a clue what kind of climate you have because you don't put where you are from.
I have thought about turnips but don't know that it would work where I live we had 5 deg. a couple weeks ago and they are saying 62 tomorrow and 25 Saturday.

It helps when people put at the least what state you are from ????

 

[coyotefur]

Turnips?

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

Thanks
Dustin

How are turnips perfect?
Can perennial grasses be seeded along with the turnips so that you'll have a usable pasture the following year?

Plow, till, throw, cows harvest.

You telling me to plant trees is like going into a gunshop and the guy sells me ice cream. Your suggestion was off base with elitist attitude.

 

[M-5]

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

Thanks
Dustin

How are turnips perfect?
Can perennial grasses be seeded along with the turnips so that you'll have a usable pasture the following year?

Plow, till, throw, cows harvest.

You telling me to plant trees is like going into a gunshop and the guy sells me ice cream. Your suggestion was off base with elitist attitude.

Down here there are lots of folks that plant forage yr round. Millet - Sudan type summer grazing then follow with fall plant for winter spring graze. Native grass will only support so much pressure , some other forages can almost double grazing.

 

[willow bottom]

I wonder if the turnips generate new growth after being grazed or once they clip the tops off that's it?

 

[M-5]

I wonder if the turnips generate new growth after being grazed or once they clip the tops off that's it?

They can but my experience once they figure out there is a root the pull it up.