to plant or not to plant

[plbcattle]

I was going to plant about 20 acres of marshall ryegrass. In learly september we got flooded with rain and warm temp. teh grass is as green and thick right now as it is in may. I might have to bushhog because the cows aren't keeping up. My question is it to late to get any benifit out of planting ryegrass this late. I know it will still come up but if it is 45-60 days before I can turn them out on it that will be late jan. is that 3 monthes worth it before the grass greens back up. thanks

 

[Beefy]

it would be worth it to me. At the risk of sounding rude, how many cattle do you have? what i'm getting at is that if 20 acres will support them for 3 months, then yes its worth it not getting out in the cold to feed hay in february. If you have a larger herd then why bother?

 

[plbcattle]

i have about 100 momma cows, I know the 20 acres won't feed all of them the whole time, but I will feed hay along with the rye. I was just trying to add a little more gain with extra protein in the rye

 

[Beefy]

I would still go ahead and plant it. why not? they'll love it and it will give you a few days off from feeding hay. we never plant our fields until after the peanuts and cotton is harvested and the cows have gleaned the fields. that will be in about a week or two.

 

[houstoncutter]

You have stated that you plan on mowing the pasture. I have had good results in seeding ryegrass, then mowing it. It has worked quite well for us.

 

[plbcattle]

are you mowing it after you seed it to try to sperad the seed around

 

[Texan]

are you mowing it after you seed it to try to sperad the seed around

I've done it like he's talking about to try to spread the seed around better and also to lightly cover it. Results were just as good as with mowing it first and dragging it in with a section harrow. But---I wouldn't spend my money to start it this late in the year, either.

 

[eric]

When would be the optimum time to spread ryegrass seed here in N Tx?

Is there any concerns, healthwise, with cattle going from coastal bermuda to rye grass?

Would it be better to keep a bale of hay out also, or would they just eat the hay and not the ryegrass, since the hay would be essentially what they've been eating all summer, at least from the same pasture.

 

[DRB]

If you are overseeding then later is better than early because your permanent pasture will not compete with the rye grass...Best growing for rye grass is from January until May...i would plant it..can you keep cattle off of that pasture until January? You will need to if yo want to estabnlish a good stand...I'm in south Louisiana, but a lot of folks around here plant in late november, and graze in mid January...If you disc the pasture, you may get an earlier stand, but this late in the year the extra week or two would probably not be worth the effort of tilling...for feeders as well as mamas with calves, the months of Feb. thru May. on rye grass will definetly mean some extra gain over hay and permanent pasture...

 

[plbcattle]

teh pasture I am going to plant, the grass is about 6-8 inches tall. I thought about putting the cows on it for a couple of days and getting the grass shorter so I can have better seed to soil contact. would I be better doing this or seeding and then bushhogging or bush hogging then seeding.

 

[la4angus]

I thought about putting the cows on it for a couple of days and getting the grass shorter so I can have better seed to soil contact..

I would let the cows get it eaten down for a couple of days or whatever it takes. You will have a better stand with better soil contact.

 

[Rod]

I use a no-till drill for seeding my winter pastures. If you dont have one your extenson office should rent one.