Spring planted oats

[Bigfoot]

My Dad is going to plant some oats this spring. Pretty sure it is to cut for hay. I've drilled them many times in the fall. Anybody here ever done what he is planning?

 

[jasonleonard]

When my neighbor rotates from corn to hay, he uses forage oats as a cover crop. He makes wrapped round bales of haylage out of it .There is a window of high protein and awesome TDN he tries to hit.His cows sure eat it good.

 

[Bigfoot]

He's got a hay field the drought thinned the fescue out pretty bad. Crabgrass filled in the bare spots when we did get a few showers. I think he wants to square bale it, and then drill more fescue in the fall. I wonder what kind of production he will get?

 

[cowgirl_jenna]

we've gotten 4-5+ tons an acre, we plant 1.5-2 bu per acre as a nurse crop to our alfalfa. If you need energy, cut it in the dough stage, when the crude protein level is 10-12%. If you want it as a protein source, cut the oats as they're starting to head out, when the crude protein level is 14-16%. A note of caution, be sure they are totally dry if baling for dry hay. They may seem dry, but can be deceiving sometimes. They make great balage too if you go that route.
Jenna

 

[kjonesel]

I have 40 acres that I intend to plant this spring to alfalfa and I will use spring oats as a cover crop. I will only plant 1/3 to 1/2 the normal seeding rate as the oats are to be used to help control early erosion and provide some cover for the alfalfa seedlings. Our local soil and water agency rents a no-till seed drill and what our local farmers do is no till their grass seed. The advantages are reduced rates and a higher germination. Though you just missed this past week with the light snow on the ground if you are in N. Kentucky you could have "frosted" your grass seed on. If you are where there is still some freezing and thawing left that is what I would do.
I don't know what variety of fescue you are going to plant but there has been a lot of advancements in fescues in the past decade. My brother sold me some fescue to put in my pasture a few years ago and I think it was creeping red fescue, don't hold me to it, but it is wonderful. It could be looked up if you go to the University of Kentucky forage research center website there you can see the benefits over KY 31. I know in the past Lewis Seed Co. in Louisville was a distrubuter for it and a few years ago it was in short supply as it was being used in strip mine reclamation.

 

[cowboy43]

In Texas wheat and oats is a cool season crop,plant in sept or oct. matures april to may, the heat will kill it, how many states can you plant wheat or oats in the summer , seems to me the heat would be a factor.

 

[Bigfoot]

Cowboy, this will be the first I have seen planted in the spring here. I'm sure someone has done it, but I haven't seen it.

Kjonesel, I always get a good stand with frost seeding, and July always kills it.

 

[snake67]

My Dad is going to plant some oats this spring. Pretty sure it is to cut for hay. I've drilled them many times in the fall. Anybody here ever done what he is planning?

We are in a different area. We always put the oats in during early May and take them off in the summer.

Cheers

Bez

 

[sim.-ang.king]

My Dad is going to plant some oats this spring. Pretty sure it is to cut for hay. I've drilled them many times in the fall. Anybody here ever done what he is planning?

We are in a different area. We always put the oats in during early May and take them off in the summer.

Cheers

Bez

Next 2 weeks is time for oat planting around here.

 

[kjonesel]

The best spring oats I ever had were planted on the 28'th of February and they made 90 bushels per acre. I've never done that again.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Next 2 weeks is time for oat planting around here.[/quote]

We won't even have the frost out of the ground in 2 weeks.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

We will still have 2 feet of snow on the ground in 2 weeks. I usually try to get my spring oats in the ground by the middle/end of May. If cutting for hay I take them off in the summer when they are just starting to head out. Trick can be getting the proper weather to get them dry enough to bale.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Next 2 weeks is time for oat planting around here.

We won't even have the frost out of the ground in 2 weeks.[/quote]
and we won't have enough dry ground to drive on so you take what you get. :help:

 

[cowsrus]

I had the same idea as your dad, last year i wanted to no-till some oats in my hay meadow for early grazing and then bale it later. Well the oats all came up, but they never grew enough to do any good. It was either lack of fertilizer or lack of rain (or both). If i ever try it again, i will spend some more money and fertilize it as needed and hope for the rain

 

[Bigfoot]

He got it all planted yesterday. I hope it wasn't to late. Spring appears to be 3 weeks late here. Mayb it will be ok.

 

[Lucky_P]

Bigfoot,
A friend planted a cornfield in spring oats here several years ago - made an awesome hay crop, then they drilled soybeans into the stubble.
Y'all oughta come out good.

 

[Bigfoot]

I got him to run over to my place, and drill 20 bushell yesterday. If it turns out, I'm going to square bale it.