Orchard Grass

[rouxshortorn]

Is orchard grass worth growing for cattle or is it more for horse's??? How many of you grow it??

 

[dun]

Orchard grass gorws better then timothy but not as well as fexcue. Makes great winter hay, cows suck it up like candy. When we turn the cows into the hay fields if there is any OG they clean it up forst, but they won;t eat the really big clumps of it. I plant it in semi-worn out fescue pastures to help dilute the endophyte. Doesn;t persist as well as fescue and really should be cut 4-5 inches high in a hay field rather then the 2-3 that you can get by with for cutting fescue. Oh, BTW, we raise it.

 

[rouxshortorn]

Orchard grass gorws better then timothy but not as well as fexcue. Makes great winter hay, cows suck it up like candy. When we turn the cows into the hay fields if there is any OG they clean it up forst, but they won;t eat the really big clumps of it. I plant it in semi-worn out fescue pastures to help dilute the endophyte. Doesn;t persist as well as fescue and really should be cut 4-5 inches high in a hay field rather then the 2-3 that you can get by with for cutting fescue. Oh, BTW, we raise it.

so you mix with other grasses and would'nt recommend planting it straight?

 

[dun]

so you mix with other grasses and would'nt recommend planting it straight?

If the field is primarily a hay feed with maybe a little grazing I prefer straight OG. For strictly pasture I prefer a mix with fescue and clover
I just noticed that you're in a colder climate then ours. Not sure if fescue will even grow there, less sure about OG. What are the primary pasture grasses in your area?

 

[angie1]

We are in colder climate and are planting orchard grass next summer. Mnmtranching has said that it grows well but doesn't make it through cold winter regardless of variety. He said he mixes with timothy but can be mixed with, as dun said too, fescue and clover. He uses, I believe, as both hay and pasture.

 

[dun]

We are in colder climate and are planting orchard grass next summer. Mnmtranching has said that it grows well but doesn't make it through cold winter regardless of variety. He said he mixes with timothy but can be mixed with, as dun said too, fescue and clover. He uses, I believe, as both hay and pasture.

We don;t get the severe cold that you northern folks get and it does ok for us in that respect. But for drought tolerance it's better then brome or timothy but no where near as good as fescue. I'm refering to the old KY31 high endophyte fescue, don;t know how the newer novel/friendly endophyte fescue would fair. It is about the same with extreme high temps in the summer, fescue does better, then OG, then brome then timothy.

 

[George Monk]

I have been replanting most of our farms to orchardgrass. The OG does not persists as well as fescue like dun said. However I do have a field that has been in orchardgrass for 5 years now and was in great shape until this last drought. It has yet to recover in some spots but we just haven't had any rain since July. (about 2") I am keeping a close eye on it. I think a mix of clover/alfalfa/orchardgrass is about a good of hay as you can get. High yeild, great palatability, and nutritious. The biggest difference I see is the fescue is so much better if you intend to stockpile for winter. If stockpiling is an issue go with fescue. My choice is orchardgrass.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Orchardgrass is grown in Canada also....

 

[badaxemoo]

My gripe about the orchardgrass variety I have (probably Potomac) is that it matures so early which makes it hard to get up as quality dry hay. It also makes grazing tougher because it isn't "on schedule" with the other grasses and often gets ahead so the cattle leave it.

That said, it grows better in droughty conditions and grows later into the fall than anything else I have.

I'd like to try one of the more palatable, later maturing varieties like Baridana - anyone have any experience with this one or other improved varieties of OG?

 

[IluvABbeef]

We grow it mixed with timothy. I see a lot grown for dairy cattle, and it sure grows fast. Stocker steers gain well on it, for one thing.

 

[rouxshortorn]

My gripe about the orchardgrass variety I have (probably Potomac) is that it matures so early which makes it hard to get up as quality dry hay. It also makes grazing tougher because it isn't "on schedule" with the other grasses and often gets ahead so the cattle leave it.

That said, it grows better in droughty conditions and grows later into the fall than anything else I have.

I'd like to try one of the more palatable, later maturing varieties like Baridana - anyone have any experience with this one or other improved varieties of OG?

don't know the name of the orchard grass variety but there is an early and late maturing OG Preferred Seed out of Buffalo,New York has a brand named Crown Royale OG I think is late maturing?

 

[western]

Check with LD Oliver Seed in VT. They carry a variety called Tekapo.

 

[msscamp]

Is orchard grass worth growing for cattle or is it more for horse's??? How many of you grow it??

Absolutely, it makes for very good grazing, and hay! If you don't have enough cattle to keep it grazed down, I would recommend mowing/cutting it, though, because cattle don't much like it when it gets tough. We don't have any straight orchard grass fields, but we have a fair amount in our existing grass fields, and we also just planted a field to a mixture of grasses - including orchard grass - this past spring.

 

[dun]

Here's an oddity. Drilled WW and OG into side by side pastures. WW is up about 8 inches, OG hasn;t shown anything. Drilled another 2 pastures 3 weeks later, the WW has sprouted and so has the OG. Growing grass can be so much fun!

 

[MissouriExile]

Here's an oddity. Drilled WW and OG into side by side pastures. WW is up about 8 inches, OG hasn;t shown anything. Drilled another 2 pastures 3 weeks later, the WW has sprouted and so has the OG. Growing grass can be so much fun!

Dun;

How does Orchard Grass Seed compare in cost to Better Fescue, Clover, etc?

Jon

 

[dun]

More then KY-31 but not by much cheaper then red clover, a lot cheaper then ladino. Bound to be a lot chepaer then the newer novel/fiendly endophyte cultivars of fescue.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Studies in the midwest showed GRAZIED yield per acre was higher for OG than most other grasses. Highest hay yield was three cut Reed Canary. When you change the rest period or the residual height - - then the highest yielding grass variety will change.

Folks do grow OG into Canada, but it winter kills around here when you have an open winter without good snow cover.

Timothy is the best selling grass seed locally since it is by far the cheapest per pound and per seed. I will not plant it. Look into meadow fescue, meadow brome, and improved reed canary for something that will yield more than one crop and will last.

 

[skyeagle]

I had to reseed about 5 ac. because off the drought.
I went a Fescue 80% and Orchard 20% mix. Plan on
spray 24d to keep the weeds at bay. Then next fall
put a little Clover down. I just need rain still lacking 18"

Made in the USA

 

[hillrancher]

My experience with orchard grass as hay. Do not cut after mid May it matures earlier than fescue. If cut late the heat, dry and direct sun gets to the stool and kills it. Cannot be grazed close in the hot and dry time of the year. Good hay and pasture. When we only cut hay twice we had good orchard grass. Started cutting 3 time when possible have killed about all of it.

 

[mack]

If you can grow OG in your area, I highly recommend TAKENA. I have grazed it for several years and have had pretty good luck. It has a late maturity and an excellent disease package. It is well worth the cost difference over Potomac or Hallmark. As with any orchardgrass, it must be rotationally grazed. If you add a legume, it is suggested to wait until your grass is established the first year to cut down on competition.

Anyone else used Takena?