Which Legume?

[Dale L]

Looking to add either some more clover or some birds foot trefoil to our predominately fescue pasture. We have some places that have a good bit of clover now but some that don't. Never tried the birds foot before so of those of you that have it or know much about it which do you prefer? And why? Birds foot is also much more expensive at the places I've priced so far.

 

[Nesikep]

I don't think birdsfoot trefoil will give you the volume of growth clover can... We have a bunch in our fields, and we like it, but compared to double cut red clover it doesn't yield nearly as much. I'm sure it has some advantages too.. but not for us around here

 

[dun]

Make sure that it is suitable for your area. It doesn;t grow worth crap around here but clover sure does. So does lespedeza but I don;t like having to reseed it every year.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Lespedeza does not have to be reseeded every year if you let it set seed and use a pasture drag.

 

[dun]

Lespedeza does not have to be reseeded every year if you let it set seed and use a pasture drag.

When the cows eat it to the ground you do.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Got to pull off for it to set seed. Mine gets grazed pretty hard sometimes and still comes back. Has not been a lespedeza seed sowed here in forty years that I know off.

 

[dun]

Got to pull off for it to set seed. Mine gets grazed pretty hard sometimes and still comes back. Has not been a lespedeza seed sowed here in forty years that I know off.

Here it never comes back, even if it goes to seed. May be crowded out by the clover cause we've got TONS of clover.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

May be Dun. When we moved back to the farm wasn't much till I run a drag over the pastures then it came back.

 

[Dale L]

Sounds like clover is probably what we will stay with. We also have some lespedeza in one of our hay fields. Alfalfa doesn't stay long around here. I read that birds foot could be grown where alfalfa couldn't and was just curious if it had any major advantages over clover. Sounds like it probably doesn't other than it is supposed to be non bloating. But in all the years we have ran cattle on this place as far as I know we have never had an issue with bloat. We added some red clover in one pasture last year and have some ladino clover in one. Thanks for your input.

 

[Lucky_P]

Planted some BFT once; not sure that I ever saw a seedling come up. Have no experience with it, but my understanding was that it's slow to establish, and a bit less forgiving of overgrazing than the annual lespedezas. Really gotta have a significant 'rest' period to set seed.

Annual lespedeza - when you can find seed! - makes a good addition to fescue/clover pastures, as it puts on the bulk of its growth in the hottest part of the summer, when the fescue & clover kind of shut down. Re-seeds better if you can pull the cows off to let it set a full crop, but I've had it re-seed in years when I really had to graze it hard - 'Marion' saved the day during the drought of '98

Red clover doesn't last long - 2-3 yrs max before I have to re-seed; usually do a mix of medium red and a good Ladino.
Kopu II has been my go-to white clover; Alice and Will are good, but leaf area not quite as big as Kopu II.

 

[Nesikep]

Is Lespedeza cold tolerant? Perhaps I should try seeding a little in once and see how it does.

 

[Lucky_P]

Nesikep,
Don't know that I've seen documentation of anyone growing annual lespedezas north of Missouri. It might work... but might not have a long enough growing season to successfully re-seed in following years.

 

[Stocker Steve]

BFT has its place. I use 3 to 5 different legumes - - including BFT - - in a new seeding.

BFT does well on wetter acid low input ground - - as long as you have long rest periods. Then it can also reseed itself. In a MN hay meadow that means a one or two cut system. In my pasture mixes it has only persisted in the fence lines. I currently make 3 to 4 rotations per year.

Think legumeS.