What grass weed is this?

[millstreaminn]

Got a bunch of this coming up in a seeding I did last year. It has a weedy smell to it and the cows don't really like to eat it. It grows about 18" tall and only has a few leaves close to the ground. I've Googled "grass weeds" and can't seem to find a picture to identify it. Anyone also know how to control it?

 

[M.Magis]

Work computer won't load the pic correctly, but the tiny thumbnail I can see looks like orchard grass. We wouldn't consider it a weed around here unless it's in the garden. A "weed" is typically a broadleaf plant, not a grass.
That's probably why you had trouble finding anything.
If that's what it is, it's a good thing.

 

[millstreaminn]

Thanks for the reply. Its not Orchard. It has a yellow tint to it and smells "weedy" when baled.

 

[M.Magis]

I can see it better now. Seeds look a lot like ryegrass.

 

[millstreaminn]

It's not rye. Doesn't get as tall as rye. You see it a lot in fields that are not limed or fertilized. I got it volunteer in a new seeding and would like to be rid of it.

 

[Ebenezer]

Look up Sweet Vernal Grass on a web search and see if that is it. When mowed it has an odor that takes over the area.

 

[millstreaminn]

The seed head looks very similar, but the leaves are wrong. I'll take a picture of it standing and see if that makes any difference.

 

[Clodhopper]

It's not sage grass is it? If it is, lime normally helps.

 

[Rafter S]

A "weed" is typically a broadleaf plant, not a grass.

Technically that's probably correct, but as far as I'm concerned, if cattle don't like it it's a weed. Like smutgrass in my part of the country.

 

[millstreaminn]

It's not sage grass is it? If it is, lime normally helps.

Nope. Ph is up to snuff. I'll take a pic of it standing this weekend. It's a weed the cows won't graze and it makes the hay smell bitter/weedy. If you get too much in a bale, they wont eat it ah all.

 

[millstreaminn]

Look up Sweet Vernal Grass on a web search and see if that is it. When mowed it has an odor that takes over the area.

Correct. I texted the picture to one of my farmer buddies. When I looked it up online, it just didn't look like a match. So next question is how to get rid of it? Cattle won't go near it, either in a bale or in the pasture.

 

[M.Magis]

I thought it was similar to brome sedge, in that it preferred acid soils and that getting pH /nutrient levels in good shape allows other grasses to crowd it out. No experience myself, just what I've read before.