Planting Sudan for Hay?

[gertman]

Would you bother with planting sudan for hay if you only cut with a regular disc mower without conditioning rollers?

 

[Jogeephus]

Personally I would be scared to unless I had an escape route such as access to some haylage equipment. The time it takes to dry, even with a crimper, leaves you wide open for it to get rained on. Of course, if the drought continues in South Carolina, you will probably be OK. But then you are open to nitrate problems in the hay which could lead to other problems.

Personally, I would just hate to invest all that time and money and then be left wide open to lose all your efforts in the event of a rain. However, with the haylage equipment, it really won't matter if it rains cause you should put it up with 50% moisture and the resulting haylage will be excellent feed. JMO

 

[MikeC]

Would you bother with planting sudan for hay if you only cut with a regular disc mower without conditioning rollers?

Sudan? or Sorghum X Sudan?

When planting regular sudan, you can plant it a little thicker than recommended and cut it more often, at about 3 feet, and not worry about it drying as bad as the hybrids.

It will be about like Johnson grass in stem size and you may have to tedder it.

The Sudan X Sorghum hybrids tend to have a bigger stalk.

I know a guy that got 7 cuttings from a Sudan planting one year and it was good stuff.

 

[footballjdtractor]

I wouldn't try to use it for dry hay unless you have access to a bagger.

 

[gertguy]

I know people that get by fine with no conditioner, especially on a year like 07 when we didn't get but 4 inches of rain from the first of may until September. I myself have a moco and cutting 6 ft tall thick sorghum sudan it only takes 3 good days to get it down to 14% moisture. I tedder at least 2 times.