Planting our wintering area

[redcowsrule33]

We have a 4 acre wintering area that needs heavy renovation this summer due to mud - there is no saving it this time. We are up north, the land is sloped and silt loam with a lot of manure/hay/stalks from feeding on it all winter. We will be using it again next winter. Our goal is to get it planted into something we could graze off during the summer, but might consider something like corn to be grazed off in the fall. We have planted it in the past to sorghum-sudan but it took so long for a hard enough frost to kill it, then dry down to the point that prussic acid poisoning was not a concern, that we are looking for alternatives. Open to ideas.

 

[Bigfoot]

I was going to recommend sudex, till I read closer. Prusic acid can be problem, but it will be gone before your thinking. If you have any apprehension at all, I wouldn't do it.

 

[dun]

How about hay soybeans.

 

[Banjo]

pearl millet

 

[JMJ Farms]

pearl millet

If pearl millet will grow in Wisconsin, I'd recommend it also. Then all you've got to worry about is nitrate poisoning which is easy to avoid.

 

[Stocker Steve]

The biologically best approach is to plant a full season cover crop mix.
You need the mix to be heavy in warm season grasses like corn and SS to get tonnage and utilize the N. I am not a big millet fan due to relatively low production. If you want to cheapen up the mix use some bin run oats.
The trick is to not plant too many brassicas because they sprout right away and can choke out warm season grasses. A pound per acre goes a long way.
You can graze cover crop twice in the north, thus avoiding frost fears, but the second crop will be short and mostly clover or brassicas. The warm season grasses are one and done in a complex mix.

 

[JMJ Farms]

That's what I didn't know, how millet would do up north. Here nothing else even comes close to it for production. With just average rainfall, we can graze 4 pairs per acre for 60 days and then drop to 2-3 pairs for 30 more days.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Our warm season is very short. Some years the improved cool season grasses never have a production slump.

We break up about 5 acres of rocky virgin bluegrass pasture per year:

Pick enough top rocks to get a lime buggy across it, lime it, graze it twice, scratch the surface till we get tired of rock picking, and then drill in a cover crop mix.

 

[JMJ Farms]

It never ceases to amaze me how different farming techniques are around the country. Here we have very few rocks. Cleaning up new ground here consists of cutting trees, stumping, piling, picking up roots, and burning. Costs anywhere from $500-1200 per acre.

 

[Ebenezer]

Plant a mix of grass(es), legume(s) and forb(es). A guy with NRCS, Dr. Ray Archeletta, could tell you what will work in you area or someone in your local NRCS office or state who have tried various cover crops working under his guidance or recommendations. He has done some work in one of the Dakotas with great success. They do not have to be either permanent or annual type plants and can be a mix. This is a great opportunity to see what works for you in case you ever want to do some improvements or top seeding in years to come.

 

[hurleyjd]

We have a 4 acre wintering area that needs heavy renovation this summer due to mud - there is no saving it this time. We are up north, the land is sloped and silt loam with a lot of manure/hay/stalks from feeding on it all winter. We will be using it again next winter. Our goal is to get it planted into something we could graze off during the summer, but might consider something like corn to be grazed off in the fall. We have planted it in the past to sorghum-sudan but it took so long for a hard enough frost to kill it, then dry down to the point that prussic acid poisoning was not a concern, that we are looking for alternatives. Open to ideas.

Try (http://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/tur ... fleaf3.htm) With soybeans, if sorghum/sudan will grow then Tiff Leaf 3 millet will.

 

[Dave]

I do the same thing. I plant oats, annual ryegrass, and vetch. I don't mess with any of the perennial grasses because it is going to get trashed again next winter. Last year the drought prevented the oats or rye from sprouting but I grew a great stand of lambs quarter and pig weed.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I grew a great stand of lambs quarter and pig weed.

RFV should have been over 240 :nod:

 

[Flatbroke]

plant heavy 60 lbs or more to the A with a mix of hay barley, oats and rye grass and you will get a crop this year with good feed value and dry mater to the A as well..........hope for rain.

 

[hurleyjd]

redcow was asking about planting his winter feeding area with a summer type grass and not winter grass as some of you are suggesting.

 

[callmefence]

We always chisel ours up and plant in haygrazer (Suddex). I've used millet for several years, but here the haygrazer greatly outperform s the millet. Especially after first grazing. There are some management issues, but it's not the big deal many think.

 

[True Grit Farms]

We always chisel ours up and plant in haygrazer (Suddex). I've used millet for several years, but here the haygrazer greatly outperform s the millet. Especially after first grazing. There are some management issues, but it's not the big deal many think.

Fence, can you expand on the real life management issues?

 

[callmefence]

Sure , I'm no expert so don't bet your cows . You have to manage for nitrates and purrassic acid. Both occur in stressed plants.
Nitrates accumulate in the stalk and can be managed fairly fertilizing conservatively if you expect stressful conditions. Nitrates do not go away in hay.
Purasic acid is mainly in New growth after stress. First rain after a drought, warm after a light frost. Usually will dissipate after about a week of good growth. I usually give it 2.
I manage it usually by simply letting them eat it down before frost. If you get in a drought fence em out for a few weeks after rain comes.

When it doubt test. It's cheap and easy. Do it often and you will begin to learn.

I hope I was off some help

 

[True Grit Farms]

Thanks Fence, have you ever mixed haygrazer and tif-3 millet? That was my thoughts for this years summer grazing.

 

[callmefence]

I have. Although not tiffleaf it's not readily available here. Leafy 60 I think is what we always get. It's good feed no doubt. But after it's grazed down once. The haygrazer will blow it away here. It's usually pretty dry here by then. I'm sure it's different in wetter areas