Winter Ryegrass Question

[tdarden3k]

Here in North Texas winter Ryegrass is 14+ inches tall. There are fields that have been w/o livestock on it all winter and others that had the cows pulled off in late February. The grass is still up to 14 "

I have a few questions to those of you who has grown it in the past.

1. Does it make fairly palatable hay
2. Will the hay keep for up to 2 years (if it is harvested correctly
3. Does it have a good nutritional value ?
4. Will folks buy it ?
Thanks

 

[BC]

Here in North Texas winter Ryegrass is 14+ inches tall. There are fields that have been w/o livestock on it all winter and others that had the cows pulled off in late February. The grass is still up to 14 "

I have a few questions to those of you who has grown it in the past.

1. Does it make fairly palatable hay
2. Will the hay keep for up to 2 years (if it is harvested correctly
3. Does it have a good nutritional value ?
4. Will folks buy it ?
Thanks

Answers to your questions:
1. Yes, it can be excellent hay if put up right.
2. It depends on how it is stored. Ryegrass needs to be in a barn or at least tarped.
3. Again depends on the stage when cut.
4. Cattle or dairy producers will buy, the equine market is iffy as those dumb critters are too finicky for their own good. If it were me, I would keep the ryegrass hay and sell the clean looking, lower quality, second cutting hay to the horse customers.

You do need to plan to take it off as hay or graze it off as it will shade out your summer grass.

 

[Isomade]

Here in North Texas winter Ryegrass is 14+ inches tall. There are fields that have been w/o livestock on it all winter and others that had the cows pulled off in late February. The grass is still up to 14 "

I have a few questions to those of you who has grown it in the past.

1. Does it make fairly palatable hay
2. Will the hay keep for up to 2 years (if it is harvested correctly
3. Does it have a good nutritional value ?
4. Will folks buy it ?
Thanks

1. If its out up correctly
2. Yes, if it's put up correctly
3. Yes, if it's harvested on time it can be between 11-14% protien
4. Yes

Most rye grass hay you see is too mature and doesn't make the best hay. The problem with getting it put up correctly is the high water content combined with the fact that the optimal time to bail is in the rainy season. If you get lucky you can have great hay. Most of the bailers that get it just right hade a Tedder.

 

[AndyL]

I have about 25 acres of rye grass ready to cut. Just can't get more that a 3 day window of sunshine.

 

[tdarden3k]

I guess I understand now. I was thinking .. some winter forage, large quantity of hay, this stuff is better than sliced bread.
But I have also read that it should be cut in the "dough" stage for best results. I am not sure what the dough stage is but I suspect it is past that stage here, I am seeing seedheads on top. Suppose to be 80 degrees today but 20 percent rain and 90 percent tomorrow.

I guess that is why folks are cutting it in May..... Late May

 

[TexasBred]

The longer you wait the more worthless it will be.

 

[Banjo]

I have about 25 acres of rye grass ready to cut. Just can't get more that a 3 day window of sunshine.

Wrap it.......make baleage.

 

[AndyL]

Never did that. Have wanted to try it tho. My Grand Father and Dad made silage back in the dairy days many years ago. I would like to try baleage for my own use, but not totally sure how it works.

 

[bigbull338]

man youve got a gold mine in hay.so the answer is yes to all your qs.its getting pretty close to time to cut an bale rye grass.to get it put up right you need 5 or 6 days to let it dry an bale it.but you could bale it the same or next dasy if you knew some1 with a balewrapper to wrapp the hay.

 

[Banjo]

Never did that. Have wanted to try it tho. My Grand Father and Dad made silage back in the dairy days many years ago. I would like to try baleage for my own use, but not totally sure how it works.

Around here we have some one who does custom wrapping for $5/roll. You have to have a frontend loader to load the wrapper. It just keeps wrapping one by one ,looks like a big long white worm when you are thru. It makes it air tight so with sufficient moisture it creates an anerobic condition for silaging. If you wrap it dry...then it just keeps like hay without losing much nutrients.