You Are A Grass Farmer First

[novatech]

Taken from Caustic's favorite phrase I do not believe any truer words were ever spoken. Before anyone buys their first cow they first should have a basic understanding of how to raise grass. I ran across this article. I thought I would pass it along as it gives some basic knowledge for those first starting out. Doesn't hurt for some of us old farts to get a refresher course either.
http://od.tamu.edu/ANR/Landowner/Pastur ... wthDev.pdf

 

[Caustic Burno]

That is a good article, I would like to have seen the rainfall amounts for Bahia's, Coastal etc.
I have failed with Coastal due high rainfall as it developes a rust but we average 60 inches or better rainfall a year. This can be very challenging in our sandy soils maintaining nutrient levels as according to what I have read fertilizer requirements vary greatly from our subtropical enviroment to more arid climates. I have learned to embrace mother nature as I have tried it all and come to love Bahia and common bermuda.
I have planted it all through the years Coastal, African Star, Alicia, World feeder Bermuda what a joke, Red River Crab grass. Due to a short between my brain and billfold I finally figured to manage what the good Lord has given me and manage it to it's maximum.

 

[novatech]

That is a good article, I would like to have seen the rainfall amounts for Bahia's, Coastal etc.
I have failed with Coastal due high rainfall as it developes a rust but we average 60 inches or better rainfall a year. This can be very challenging in our sandy soils maintaining nutrient levels as according to what I have read fertilizer requirements vary greatly from our subtropical enviroment to more arid climates. I have learned to embrace mother nature as I have tried it all and come to love Bahia and common bermuda.
I have planted it all through the years Coastal, African Star, Alicia, World feeder Bermuda what a joke, Red River Crab grass. Due to a short between my brain and billfold I finally figured to manage what the good Lord has given me and manage it to it's maximum.

One place I feel he article is wrong is where it talks about soil depth. I have places where the hard pan is exposed and other places where the top soil is deep. Roots of many grasses do not stop at the hard pan they actually go through it. Eastern Gamma is known for this giving it survivability in the drought. Bahia is another. As a matter of fact Bahia has been planted for this very purpose. After a few years of growth it is plowed and replanted with crops and research as shown the crops do much better. Turnips are also used for breaking up the hard pan.

 

[curtis]

That is a good article, I would like to have seen the rainfall amounts for Bahia's, Coastal etc.
I have failed with Coastal due high rainfall as it developes a rust but we average 60 inches or better rainfall a year. This can be very challenging in our sandy soils maintaining nutrient levels as according to what I have read fertilizer requirements vary greatly from our subtropical enviroment to more arid climates. I have learned to embrace mother nature as I have tried it all and come to love Bahia and common bermuda.
I have planted it all through the years Coastal, African Star, Alicia, World feeder Bermuda what a joke, Red River Crab grass. Due to a short between my brain and billfold I finally figured to manage what the good Lord has given me and manage it to it's maximum.

Caustic, how did the Red River Crab grass do?

 

[Caustic Burno]

That is a good article, I would like to have seen the rainfall amounts for Bahia's, Coastal etc.
I have failed with Coastal due high rainfall as it developes a rust but we average 60 inches or better rainfall a year. This can be very challenging in our sandy soils maintaining nutrient levels as according to what I have read fertilizer requirements vary greatly from our subtropical enviroment to more arid climates. I have learned to embrace mother nature as I have tried it all and come to love Bahia and common bermuda.
I have planted it all through the years Coastal, African Star, Alicia, World feeder Bermuda what a joke, Red River Crab grass. Due to a short between my brain and billfold I finally figured to manage what the good Lord has given me and manage it to it's maximum.

Caustic, how did the Red River Crab grass do?

Not well, did good the first year , then virtually kaput.

 

[BC]

I think you have to lightly disk crabgrass to rejuvenate it. Disking for ryegrass will do he trick on the crabgrass for the next season.

 

[JRGidaho`]

Back when we were in MO we always got the best crabgrass where we had winter grazed or fed hay during the spring thaw and got a lot of hoof action. Just as good as disking. Where we grazed when the ground was frozen usually had very little crabgrass.

I do miss crabgrass for summer grazing here in Idaho. We don't get enough warm days in the whole summer to even get crabgrass started.

CB, there was a guy in southern Idaho who planted the World Feeder bermuda. Pretty insane thing to even consider in Idaho. It was around for a couple of years and then the long winters just put it away. As you said, pretty much a joke.

 

[fargus]

That was a good article. I spend quite a few days in the winter going to forage and pasture management seminars, and it never gets old talking about stocking rate, stocking density and rest period.

Question for the Southerners: in that article he mentioned switchgrass a couple of times. Up here it is being grown as a dedicated energy crop for burning in a pelleted form, or as a possible feedstock for cellulosic ethanol. Does it get grazed much down south? It puts up a tremendous amount of forage, but it doesn't look like it is very high-quality. The other one becoming even more popular up here is miscanthus grass. What are your thoughts on those species? As a later-starting warm-season grass they might have a fit up here when our cool-season grasses slow down mid-season, and give us an opportunity to stockpile some other forage for later into the fall and the winter.