Reed Canarygrass and/or Eastern Gamagrass. How about them?

[Steve Wilson]

I know, sometimes I think too much. But I might have just the spot for some Canarygrass. We have a 10 acre bottom pasture, that tends to stay wet in the Spring. By wet, I mean it has standing water here and there for a while. An inch or so deep in lower areas that don't drain well enough. In reading about Reed Canarygrass, it sounds like just the sort of conditions it will tolerate, maybe even thrive under.

Another listed benefit in the University of Missouri Extension publication: "Because of its very early Spring growth, graze it first to delay the haying period. If it is cut for hay without grazing the first growth, mow it when the first heads begin to appear. Reed Canarygrass makes excellent hay for horses--they prefer it over good quality timothy hay."

It sounds like this grass gets growing before any of the other cool season grasses. That offers us some advantages. Pulling the cow/calf herd off of the upland fescue pastures and down to the bottom field for some early grazing. Which would save that fescue pasture for hay, though it is much larger. 50 or 60 acres maybe. Depends on how long of an early grazing period you can get out of the canary grass. We would want them off of it early enough to allow a good hay crop from the canary grass. What to do with the cow/calf herd next is something we will have to address in developing a new pasture management program. The publication further says, that canary grass has an abundant late summer/early fall growth period. But that it is also the first cool season grass to go dormant when chilly weather sets in. That would give us another good grazing period, before moving them off to the fescue for the winter. And allow the fescue to stockpile some in the meantime.

It says you can also seed it in a mixture with any of the clovers or alfalfa. We would probably do a mix of red and ladino. And let the clovers sort out which spots in the field they can survive in. A good part of it, maybe 20 - 30% is too wet in the spring to support red clover. But the higher areas get a bit drougthy in the summer for the ladino. I don't think there would be any worries regarding bloat from the ladino in the mix.

The second one I mentioned is Gamagrass, a warm season species. Equaly suited to this pasture. But from what I have been told, you need to be prepared for a very bumpy ride across it, once those 1 to 4 foot wide clumps develop.

Puzzlements, puzzlements. I can always count on you all for good advice.

Thanks,

 

[dun]

The one thing that comes to mind when you talk about the field be godd for canarygrass is that it's wet. If it's all that wet, would you want the cows grazing on it and pugging it. That makes for a rough ride when haying, hard on cows feet when it hardens and would probably form more wet spots that would dry later.

 

[Steve Wilson]

Dun,

Excellent point. One that I neglected to mention. If I could steal the skidloader for half a day, I could cut two shallow swales and drain the problem areas. Gonna have to put that on my to do list. It really needs doing.

Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[PaMike]

We have some bottom land with reed canary grass. The stuff grows like wild fire, but the cattle seem to prefer other grasses over reed canary grass. Another thing to consider, although it will give a lot of tonnage for hay, its harvest window is small to gain high feed quality. I still think its a worthwhile idea since not many other grasses thrive in that type of area. I keep our bottom land mowed and I think the grass is actually starting to dry the area out. I think the grass sucks up the moisture, then I mow it off and it continues to grow sucking up more moisture....