Switchgrass

[Proverbs 12:10]

Sat in on a presentation today by one of the Noble Foundation guys regarding switchgrass. He talked about it's attributes as far as being used for bio-fuel, however, his talk about switchgrass as a cattle forage is what really got my attention. He compared CP, TDN, length of season, etc. with most of the other perennial WSG's and it stacked up pretty good. Typical hay production without additional NPK really surprised me. Anybody experienced with this grass I would like to hear your feedback.

 

[novatech]

With fertilizer prices and the seasonal rain changes we are getting I am expermenting with everything I can get my hands on.
I just pulled up picture of it. I don,t think my cows can reach it.
http://allyrose.files.wordpress.com/200 ... sscrop.jpg

 

[Bluestem]

My experience in a mixed grass pasture, the switchgrass will be the last one standing and in a few years the only grass left. Except in early spring, the cows won't touch it. I would not put it in my pasture.
novatech- That is quite a picture. Any idea where it was taken? Can you say prairie fire.

 

[1982vett]

Kinda reminds me of georgia cane. :lol2:

 

[dun]

My experience in a mixed grass pasture, the switchgrass will be the last one standing and in a few years the only grass left. Except in early spring, the cows won't touch it. I would not put it in my pasture.

That's the main complaints I've heard from a couple of guys that planted it. The only one that really likes it planted it in a pure stand. The cows will eat it if that's all there is.

 

[ChrisB]

Wow! Judging from the picture you better make some pretty big bales or you wouldn't be able to drive forward far enough between bales to eject them.

 

[GMN]

We tried planting this for 2 years in a row, as on advice from the local FSA office (1st mistake) The stuff was way too expensive and did not take. It also needs to be planted in a filed that does not get too wet.. If you can get a stand though it is supposed to be awesome feed and give high yeilds.

GMN

 

[Fred Belknap]

I don't think you could make hay out of that. Maybe silage. Might cut it before it gets that tall and make hay.
Fred

 

[dun]

One of the locals cuts it for hay then grazes the regrowth. He's the one that planted the pure stand. His cows don;t really like it, but they eat it cause that's all there is. They do seem to like the hay ok though.

 

[Proverbs 12:10]

My experience in a mixed grass pasture, the switchgrass will be the last one standing and in a few years the only grass left. Except in early spring, the cows won't touch it. I would not put it in my pasture.

That's the main complaints I've heard from a couple of guys that planted it. The only one that really likes it planted it in a pure stand. The cows will eat it if that's all there is.

That's pretty much what I have heard before but the Noble guys showed all this data on palatibility tests they ran against other WSG perennials(bermuda, johsongrass, dallisgrass, etc.) and the switchgrass out performed everything except the johnsongrass. They did say that you wanted to rotational graze or cut for hay to keep it from heading out.

 

[Chris H]

We have 20 acres of it. Planted it in a fertile field where the tile had broken down, so getting a good crop of corn or beans was getting dicey. It can take standing water for days, and not be harmed although it does grow best in the better drained parts. It also withstood last years drought and kept growing.
We started baling it last year instead of grazing the first cutting, just because it worked better for us to hay it and graze the cool season grasses in the spring. We can then graze it another time or two during the summer. We cut it before it heads out so it is much shorter than that picture. We graze it somewhere between 12-20 inches, and take it down to about 6 inches.
It has been a monoculture until this year. We decided if we're going to hay the first cutting then we will be burning it less often, we'll have to play that by ear. If it's not going to be burned then we thought we'd try seeding some clover in the field to supply nitrogen. The clover is growing good, we'll see how it does.
Palatibility --that was our only concern before planting, not after we started grazing it. We do MIG with fairly good fences around the perimeter of the farm, a few good fences dividing parts of the farm, and single strand polywire subdividing those parts into different fields & paddocks. Once the calves get a taste of switchgrass, that is where they will be found, going under several polywire subdivisions if necessary. The cows slicked off fast when we used that field as the first in the rotation during breeding season. Now we reserve the hay for weaning time; made before heading out, it's tender and smells great, and the calves really go for it.

The first few years we did use 2-4d or Banvel(have to ask husband which) to control broadleaves and also applied N after first grazing to kick it in gear. I think atrazine is labeled for it pre-emerge also.

edited to add: burn the old stuff or cut it, the cows do not like to graze the new growth with old growth standing upright. Also, too much dead stuff on the ground is detrimental to a stand, it needs to be burned off or hayed off. It also needs to go to seed in the fall to allow the plant to mature.