Summer annual in ky

[Ky cowboy]

I'm losing a hay farm lease this fall. Has been planted in grass it finally played out. We drilled wheat this fall but got a hard freeze as it was sprouting and I'm afraid it killed it. Trying to find something to plant for one more hay season, I planted some in teff last year it yielded good but the seed was in my opinion outrageous $160 per 50#s. I can get bin run beans but would like to get something I have a chance of dry bailing.our balers will do haylage and I can usually rent wrapper. Thought about hay graze but never seen anyone around here plant it. Any options or opinions on summer annual.

 

[callmefence]

I'm losing a hay farm lease this fall. Has been planted in grass it finally played out. We drilled wheat this fall but got a hard freeze as it was sprouting and I'm afraid it killed it. Trying to find something to plant for one more hay season, I planted some in teff last year it yielded good but the seed was in my opinion outrageous $160 per 50#s. I can get bin run beans but would like to get something I have a chance of dry bailing.our balers will do haylage and I can usually rent wrapper. Thought about hay graze but never seen anyone around here plant it. Any options or opinions on summer annual.

Not in Kentucky but haygrazer. I think Bigfoot grows in Kentucky. Seeds getting high at 50 to 80 per cwt depending on variety. I can say first hand it will outperform millet by a Longshot...we ran out of seed last year and drilled in some bin run Milo on +-8 acres of a field. Cut it at about knee high and made really nice hay. Only about half the production of hg but only 12 p cwt on the seed. I've gave millet several chances, I'll never plant it again.

 

[DCB4]

I'm losing a hay farm lease this fall. Has been planted in grass it finally played out. We drilled wheat this fall but got a hard freeze as it was sprouting and I'm afraid it killed it. Trying to find something to plant for one more hay season, I planted some in teff last year it yielded good but the seed was in my opinion outrageous $160 per 50#s. I can get bin run beans but would like to get something I have a chance of dry bailing.our balers will do haylage and I can usually rent wrapper. Thought about hay graze but never seen anyone around here plant it. Any options or opinions on summer annual.

Not in Kentucky but haygrazer. I think Bigfoot grows in Kentucky. Seeds getting high at 50 to 80 per cwt depending on variety. I can say first hand it will outperform millet by a Longshot...we ran out of seed last year and drilled in some bin run Milo on +-8 acres of a field. Cut it at about knee high and made really nice hay. Only about half the production of hg but only 12 p cwt on the seed. I've gave millet several chances, I'll never plant it again.

You had any luck at rolling the haygrazer as dry hay or are you wrapping it? I really want to give some sort of sorghum/sudan a shot in western kentucky but wanting to be able to roll dry hay instead of wrapping

 

[Bigfoot]

I planted some dwarf sorghum sudan. I probably won't be recomending it to people. Seed was expensive, and between that and the fertilizer, it made for some expensive hay. I think I made 5 4' x5' rolls to the acre. Knew I couldn't get it to dry when I planted it. I just went ahead and rolled it after 4 days of laying. It molded, but the cows ate it. I should probably add, I planted it on the pooriest ground on my place. I think I might have been succesful on what I was trying to accomplish with it, which was to get some crabgrass going.

 

[callmefence]

I'm losing a hay farm lease this fall. Has been planted in grass it finally played out. We drilled wheat this fall but got a hard freeze as it was sprouting and I'm afraid it killed it. Trying to find something to plant for one more hay season, I planted some in teff last year it yielded good but the seed was in my opinion outrageous $160 per 50#s. I can get bin run beans but would like to get something I have a chance of dry bailing.our balers will do haylage and I can usually rent wrapper. Thought about hay graze but never seen anyone around here plant it. Any options or opinions on summer annual.

Not in Kentucky but haygrazer. I think Bigfoot grows in Kentucky. Seeds getting high at 50 to 80 per cwt depending on variety. I can say first hand it will outperform millet by a Longshot...we ran out of seed last year and drilled in some bin run Milo on +-8 acres of a field. Cut it at about knee high and made really nice hay. Only about half the production of hg but only 12 p cwt on the seed. I've gave millet several chances, I'll never plant it again.

You had any luck at rolling the haygrazer as dry hay or are you wrapping it? I really want to give some sort of sorghum/sudan a shot in western kentucky but wanting to be able to roll dry hay instead of wrapping

Dry hay and grazing. It is hard to get dry without a conditioner, you just have to wait for it.

 

[Ky cowboy]

We planted soy bean and millet one year and wrapped it I really liked it for cattle feed they licked the ground clean. Guy down the road will sell beans out of his bean to us for hay fields

 

[dave_shelby]

Had a failed fall planting of grass and the following spring was too wet to plant. I ended up planting a mix of mostly cowpeas, Sudan sorghum, pearl millet and sunflowers. It did well despite a drought and the ADG was phenomenal. Don't ever see how any summer annual is cost effective unless you are quite large.

 

[Texasmark]

Hay grazer is a good producer for a high volume annual. Late maturing varieties are best as you get more of a stand with smaller stems with more product before it goes into the "boot" stage and starts switching over to the mature growth pattern, seeding stage.

Ground has to be an average of 65F for germination and it can weather low moisture and high summer temps if you get the moisture in the ground in the spring. Not for horses and the bag usually states that. Cows love it and do well and never heard about other animals having a problem with it. 50# per acre is what I plant and cost runs between $30 and 65 depending on which brand you use and who's selling. This year I went with Gotcha Plus, Brown Mid Rib which is a deluxe product and will plant at about 30# per acre due to it's better characteristics, and I paid $61 at the local feed store after they ordered it for me from MBS seed in Denton, Tx.

Since 2014, the Sugar Cane Aphid has been the only pest or problem around here with haygrazers and on my farm and they hit me around the 4th of July every year since. Using a late maturing plant, I can get 2 cuttings worth of quality product in one cutting before then if I can get the seed in the ground around April 1-15.

You can spray the aphids but I don't like to spray since I had cancer and it was cured in 2013, been clear ever since and don't want to do anything to encourage it's return. Not that any of that would happen, just choose to not do it! You may not have the Aphid problem up there.

 

[callmefence]

Hay grazer is a good producer for a high volume annual. Late maturing varieties are best as you get more of a stand with smaller stems with more product before it goes into the "boot" stage and starts switching over to the mature growth pattern, seeding stage.

Ground has to be an average of 65F for germination and it can weather low moisture and high summer temps if you get the moisture in the ground in the spring. Not for horses and the bag usually states that. Cows love it and do well and never heard about other animals having a problem with it. 50# per acre is what I plant and cost runs between $30 and 65 depending on which brand you use and who's selling. This year I went with Gotcha Plus, Brown Mid Rib which is a deluxe product and will plant at about 30# per acre due to it's better characteristics, and I paid $61 at the local feed store after they ordered it for me from MBS seed in Denton, Tx.

Since 2014, the Sugar Cane Aphid has been the only pest or problem around here with haygrazers and on my farm and they hit me around the 4th of July every year since. Using a late maturing plant, I can get 2 cuttings worth of quality product in one cutting before then if I can get the seed in the ground around April 1-15.

You can spray the aphids but I don't like to spray since I had cancer and it was cured in 2013, been clear ever since and don't want to do anything to encourage it's return. Not that any of that would happen, just choose to not do it! You may not have the Aphid problem up there.

We've planted 2500 pounds of late maturity, and 2000 pounds of a standard three-way cross in the past couple of days.
On field has the two planted side by side , same soil, same fertilizer same setting on the driil.
Be interesting to watch.

Late maturity super super



Regular three way.....tridsn

 

[Texasmark]

Hay grazer is a good producer for a high volume annual. Late maturing varieties are best as you get more of a stand with smaller stems with more product before it goes into the "boot" stage and starts switching over to the mature growth pattern, seeding stage.

Ground has to be an average of 65F for germination and it can weather low moisture and high summer temps if you get the moisture in the ground in the spring. Not for horses and the bag usually states that. Cows love it and do well and never heard about other animals having a problem with it. 50# per acre is what I plant and cost runs between $30 and 65 depending on which brand you use and who's selling. This year I went with Gotcha Plus, Brown Mid Rib which is a deluxe product and will plant at about 30# per acre due to it's better characteristics, and I paid $61 at the local feed store after they ordered it for me from MBS seed in Denton, Tx.

Since 2014, the Sugar Cane Aphid has been the only pest or problem around here with haygrazers and on my farm and they hit me around the 4th of July every year since. Using a late maturing plant, I can get 2 cuttings worth of quality product in one cutting before then if I can get the seed in the ground around April 1-15.

You can spray the aphids but I don't like to spray since I had cancer and it was cured in 2013, been clear ever since and don't want to do anything to encourage it's return. Not that any of that would happen, just choose to not do it! You may not have the Aphid problem up there.

We've planted 2500 pounds of late maturity, and 2000 pounds of a standard three-way cross in the past couple of days.
On field has the two planted side by side , same soil, same fertilizer same setting on the driil.
Be interesting to watch.

Late maturity super super



Regular three way.....tridsn

Great! Keep us posted. ;-)








These were my first Gotcha Plus pasture where the rain kept me from harvesting at a shorter level. Planted 50#/acre here and looking at the stem size, I decided on 30# this time due to the cost being 2x what it was then. Note, no boots, no tops, still growing.....aka late maturing. Baled up nice (5x4....JD 375).

 

[mrvictordomino]

Tall and thick on the ground.... You were able to roll as dry hay? Looks awesome

 

[T & B farms]

I'm the the conclusion it's not possible to put up Sudan dry unless your mower has rubber crimping roles.
We have a JD moco with hammers, and even on the most aggressive setting you still can't hardly get the stems to dry. Always end up wrapping it

 

[ValleyView]

Would crabgrass be an option? Red River crabgrass seed here in OK is $5lb but Quick n Big may be a better option for haying. I have no firsthand experience in bailing it but have heard drying it down can be an issue. I am planning to broadcast 2/3lbs per acre in the next few weeks mostly for grazing. The below link may or may not be helpful...

https://youtu.be/UYfdtdn3AWQ

 

[Bigfoot]

Would crabgrass be an option? Red River crabgrass seed here in OK is $5lb but Quick n Big may be a better option for haying. I have no firsthand experience in bailing it but have heard drying it down can be an issue. I am planning to broadcast 2/3lbs per acre in the next few weeks mostly for grazing. The below link may or may not be helpful...

https://youtu.be/UYfdtdn3AWQ

I didn't suggest crabgrass, because I've already posted so much about it. Eveything in the video, I have discovered on my own through trial and error. Your place may not be like mine, but with very little coxing, volunteer crabgrass will take over. Responds well to light doses of N, tolerates a drought, very palatable, makes good hay. Only bad thing I can say, is it comes late and leaves early. Recently, I've been using wheat to overcome that short coming. The cattle tracking the wheat field seems to encourage the crabgrass to.

Here, I just kill whats there (glyphosate), and disturb the soil. Nature does the rest. Hooves as well as a disc seems to do the trick. Stuff hates shade, I try to keep it sprayed with 2 four D.

I made about 7,800 pounds to acre on my crabgrass hay last year and my sorghum sudan was about 40% behind it. Big difference on what had in planting each to. Spent several dollars an acre on SS seed, and nature provided the crabgrass

 

[ValleyView]

Would crabgrass be an option? Red River crabgrass seed here in OK is $5lb but Quick n Big may be a better option for haying. I have no firsthand experience in bailing it but have heard drying it down can be an issue. I am planning to broadcast 2/3lbs per acre in the next few weeks mostly for grazing. The below link may or may not be helpful...

https://youtu.be/UYfdtdn3AWQ

I didn't suggest crabgrass, because I've already posted so much about it. Eveything in the video, I have discovered on my own through trial and error. Your place may not be like mine, but with very little coxing, volunteer crabgrass will take over. Responds well to light doses of N, tolerates a drought, very palatable, makes good hay. Only bad thing I can say, is it comes late and leaves early. Recently, I've been using wheat to overcome that short coming. The cattle tracking the wheat field seems to encourage the crabgrass to.

Here, I just kill whats there (glyphosate), and disturb the soil. Nature does the rest. Hooves as well as a disc seems to do the trick. Stuff hates shade, I try to keep it sprayed with 2 four D.

I made about 7,800 pounds to acre on my crabgrass hay last year and my sorghum sudan was about 40% behind it. Big difference on what had in planting each to. Spent several dollars an acre on SS seed, and nature provided the crabgrass

That's encouraging to hear! I have the opposite problems where there are ample perennial CSG's but my WSG's are lacking. Although an annual, the potential to reseed and lower seed/input cost and ability to establish via broadcasting caught my attention.

 

[Ky cowboy]

We bale a lot of crabgrass makes great feed. I'd like to find something to drill in behind the winter wheat to help fill the thin spots. Would red clover have time to come up if planted around mid april, and make a 2nd cutting

 

[anewcomer]

Would crabgrass be an option? Red River crabgrass seed here in OK is $5lb but Quick n Big may be a better option for haying. I have no firsthand experience in bailing it but have heard drying it down can be an issue. I am planning to broadcast 2/3lbs per acre in the next few weeks mostly for grazing. The below link may or may not be helpful...

https://youtu.be/UYfdtdn3AWQ

Google RL Dalrymple and Noble Foundation. They have forgotten more about crabgrass than the guy in the video knows.

 

[BFE]

We bale a lot of crabgrass makes great feed. I'd like to find something to drill in behind the winter wheat to help fill the thin spots. Would red clover have time to come up if planted around mid april, and make a 2nd cutting

Yes it would, but I would get it on asap. We normally frost seed red clover in February, but I've seen neighbors put it on their wheat in April and have a solid stand. 8# per acre. Buy a spreader for your 4 wheeler and get after it.

If the wheat is for grain and you're making clover stubble hay, you might look into wet baling and wrapping it, it will make better use of the stubble. Sometimes the cows don't eat the stubble well, but they'll lick it clean if it's wet baled. after this,I drill about 50# of wheat into my clover patches in the fall to have a mixed hay next spring. The wheat and clover don't cancel each other out if you don't drill too thick, plus the wheat makes something in the bare spots in the clover. Normally dry bale this one.

 

[Texasmark]

Tall and thick on the ground.... You were able to roll as dry hay? Looks awesome

Well, here's the kicker. As in the picture I cut it with a drum mower and "thought" I was going to come back with a vintage IH or NH forget which, 404 drag crimper. What was a joke since the crimper would grab a stem and jerk the whole 7-8' plant through the rollers bringing several more with it....clogs shut me down. The tedder was my salvation and must have made half a dozen passes over the field before it was dry enough to bale. It took me a week to get it all put up working alone but as you can see in the bale, it was perfect.

For this year, since I can't justify putting a lot of money into equipment, and need the first cutting to be the only cutting (probably) due to the aphids, I violated 2 of my "will never do agains" and will let it grow till I see an aphid...1st of July and another similar crop probably, and bought another sickle bar equipped cutter. I found a nice vintage Ford 538 9' MOCO, only needing a drive belt and some lube which will do the cutting/crimping.

 

[Texasmark]

I'm the the conclusion it's not possible to put up Sudan dry unless your mower has rubber crimping roles.
We have a JD moco with hammers, and even on the most aggressive setting you still can't hardly get the stems to dry. Always end up wrapping it

I had 5 sicklebar MOCOS over the years, one IH-NH forget which, 1 JD 1207, 2 JD 1209s and current Ford 538, all having rubber rollers and I do agree that they do as they are designed....mash stems. One of the selling points on the latest Ford purchase is that the rollers are not rubber vulcanized on a steel roller, rather the cog-slot pattern was stamped out of old high ply content, used tires and doesn't have the holes in the rubber experienced with my other used MOCO purchases. Pretty much like new after all these years being a 1980's era vintage best I can tell.