Ripe Canary Grass

[angus9259]

Got a fella who wants to cut and bale some ripe canary grass for me. Cheap ($30/ton). What kind of feed value in something like that? I realize it depends on "how ripe". Tall standing . . . . 4 feet? Not been cut yet this year.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Not sure about your "neck of the woods" but around here, the "ripe" fields that haven't been cut are actually starting to get more food value, because of the 2nd growth underneath. Locals say they are getting 1st & 2nd cutting :banana:
Edit: you might walk thru it & see if it's all stems and no leaves or if there is some undergrowth coming up.
Mature dry cows only need about 9% protein - so it depends on how badly you are going to need hay this winter.
When we started out here, we used to put up our hay little pieces at a time, so we never finished! Put up a lot of July hay. It was edible & they did fine, but I'm not familiar with your grasses.

 

[Amo]

We have Reeds Canary grass. Im guessing its the same. I don't know about more food value. More tonnage, yes. Young stuff is great feed. Gets too mature and I have a hard time getting the cows to eat it. Unfornatly its always in our low ground and we can't get to it due to sitting in water or too soft of ground when its at the right stage to hay.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Makes great wind breaks when piled 3 high.
Better than feeding straw, but still many need a little DDG to help it get through.
For $30 a ton I would buy it all.

 

[vclavin]

We have Reeds Canary grass. Im guessing its the same. I don't know about more food value. More tonnage, yes. Young stuff is great feed. Gets too mature and I have a hard time getting the cows to eat it. Unfornatly its always in our low ground and we can't get to it due to sitting in water or too soft of ground when its at the right stage to hay.

Reeds canary grass can have the same edophyte as Fescue I'm told.
Valerie

 

[Amo]

We have Reeds Canary grass. Im guessing its the same. I don't know about more food value. More tonnage, yes. Young stuff is great feed. Gets too mature and I have a hard time getting the cows to eat it. Unfornatly its always in our low ground and we can't get to it due to sitting in water or too soft of ground when its at the right stage to hay.

Reeds canary grass can have the same edophyte as Fescue I'm told.
Valerie

OK, I searched endophyte on Wikepida I guess is what came up and that confused me. What is it?

 

[vclavin]

We have Reeds Canary grass. Im guessing its the same. I don't know about more food value. More tonnage, yes. Young stuff is great feed. Gets too mature and I have a hard time getting the cows to eat it. Unfornatly its always in our low ground and we can't get to it due to sitting in water or too soft of ground when its at the right stage to hay.

Reeds canary grass can have the same edophyte as Fescue I'm told.
Valerie

OK, I searched endophyte on Wikepida I guess is what came up and that confused me. What is it?

It's a symbiot of fescue that makes it toxic, I believe it is also in the Reeds Canary Grass. You might search for fescue and more than likely the endophyte info will also pop up.
Valerie

 

[dun]

endophyte and RCG info
http://www.experts123.com/q/does-reed-c ... ungus.html

 

[Stocker Steve]

Good post Dun.
I have both old/native and new/improved varieties. Cattle will eat fescue before they will eat mature RC.
Need to get on it and keep it vegetative for grazing, but hard to do that if it is in standing water...
RC meadows are viewed as drought insurance around here and do not get harvested every year.

 

[dun]

Good post Dun.
I have both old/native and new/improved varieties. Cattle will eat fescue before they will eat mature RC.
Need to get on it and keep it vegetative for grazing, but hard to do that if it is in standing water...
RC meadows are viewed as drought insurance around here and do not get harvested every year.

My post was intended to just address the endophyte question

 

[mel8030]

we have 2 kinds of canary grass. An old style and reed type. Late cut old style is not worth time and fuel to put it up. I brush hog it in the middle of may. It will then be much more tender and the weather more cooperative when its ready to cut.The reed type makes a much better hay.

 

[AllForage]

We have Reeds Canary grass. Im guessing its the same. I don't know about more food value. More tonnage, yes. Young stuff is great feed. Gets too mature and I have a hard time getting the cows to eat it. Unfornatly its always in our low ground and we can't get to it due to sitting in water or too soft of ground when its at the right stage to hay.

Reeds canary grass can have the same edophyte as Fescue I'm told.
Valerie

Standard wild canary grass has what is called high alkaloid content. It causes the plant to become unpalatable as it ripens and very bitter tasting. When it is headed out it is not much higher than straw. Buy some ear muffs when you feed it. The cows will start bellowing the minute you come outside wanting something decent to eat. Mature cows in early pregnancy will survive on it.

 

[Amo]

I try to graze it as much as I can even if its in water. Dad planted it for that reason to crowd out the cat tails and the cows were soposed to like it. Did this back in the 60ies I think. They like it at the right times. Sometimes I go in and clean it out if I can for grinding hay.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Opened the gate to some reed canary. The ground was a bit squishy but I have not grazed it in 2 years. Cows flattened it and I could see part of the fence again, and then it rained some more... Moved the cows out of the water and up the ridge, so the next night 2 new calves came out of the neighbors swamp but could not find moma. First time I did a rodeo in peat covered with water...