The Feed Crop, Grain, Forage and Soil Health Thread

[Southside]

Funny, I bought seed to plant Reed Canary because it has such a long root system.

[Walnut Beast]

I could have sent you some of those seeds 😂😂

[newoodguy78]

I know a bunch of guys that grew it for forage. It's since been declared an invasive in this state and you can no longer buy it. 

[Walnut Beast]

Talked to the weed control guy and he said there are guys out there around here using drones to spray to get into hard to reach places

[Southside]

But I bet you can get K31 Fescue. 

[newoodguy78]

 

 
Steaming tobacco. You know it's been a dry year when you see this. Usually they'll have to use some heat to get it right for marketing, not this season. 

[Southside]

Not smoke curing? 

[newoodguy78]

I've heard of smoke curing tobacco. That I know of its not a practice that's used around here.
Never realized until recently how delicate the tobacco crop is, conditions have to be just right or it's damaged simply handling it.
All the tobacco producers around are smiling they had a real good year. I'm glad to see it. Amazingly labor intensive fickle crop to produce.

[wisconsitom]

Note on reed canary grass versus giant reed:
Reed canary grass and giant reed, aka Phragmites;  2 different plants.  Both have forms native to N.America but which have been taken over by more vigorous Eurasian forms, resulting in species with strongly invasive tendencies here.  Reed canary grass equates to "marsh hay" in old school farmer parlance around here.  No friend to the forest, vast areas which once supported wet-tolerant forest types are now just RCG.  Trees don't get started in that stuff.

Phragmites goes down into wetter areas.  There, it crowds out all other vegetation.

Both plants are largely problems in N. America.

[Southside]

One man's problem is another's solution. 

[Nebraska]

Ss, You have a use for Phragmites??   I utilize a little Reed Canarary for both hay and grazing.  Not the best grass but was better than no grass this year.

[Southside]

Absolutely, we go from bone dry to so wet you can't walk in some areas, then back to dry.  Anything that can stand being submerged in that low ground, and keep growing when the ground gets hard is my summer salvation. 

For the past two years I have tried to buy Reed seed but it's pretty much been unavailable due to the drought in the upper Midwest where it's harvested for seed. 

[dairyguy]

Note on reed canary grass versus giant reed:
Reed canary grass and giant reed, aka Phragmites;  2 different plants.  Both have forms native to N.America but which have been taken over by more vigorous Eurasian forms, resulting in species with strongly invasive tendencies here.  Reed canary grass equates to "marsh hay" in old school farmer parlance around here.  No friend to the forest, vast areas which once supported wet-tolerant forest types are now just RCG.  Trees don't get started in that stuff.

Reeds Canary grass is not shade tolerant.  So if it is creeping onto your ground you didnt have much for forest anyway.   But if you have cows it is an amazing grass.   It will grow out there with the cat tails and endures well during drought on that makes rock hard cracked clay.

[wisconsitom]

The RCG moves in after a disturbance of some kind, then holds the spot.

This is nothing to argue about;. Numerous examples can be seen, by my eyes or yours.

[newoodguy78]

Note on reed canary grass versus giant reed:
Reed canary grass and giant reed, aka Phragmites;  2 different plants.  Both have forms native to N.America but which have been taken over by more vigorous Eurasian forms, resulting in species with strongly invasive tendencies here.  Reed canary grass equates to "marsh hay" in old school farmer parlance around here.  No friend to the forest, vast areas which once supported wet-tolerant forest types are now just RCG.  Trees don't get started in that stuff.

Reeds Canary grass is not shade tolerant.  So if it is creeping onto your ground you didnt have much for forest anyway.   But if you have cows it is an amazing grass.   It will grow out there with the cat tails and endures well during drought on that makes rock hard cracked clay.

@dairyguy are you using it for feed? If so are you drying it or putting it up as a silage. I can remember cutting some in the past that was essentially on a river bottom flood plain piece that stayed wet until august, we ended up using it as bedding simply because you couldn't get on it before it was gone by. Used to call it elephant grass, it got so big an elephant could walk in there and not be seen. The yields were incredible. The root mass was impressive as well.

[dairyguy]

Reeds Canary grass is not shade tolerant.  So if it is creeping onto your ground you didnt have much for forest anyway.   But if you have cows it is an amazing grass.   It will grow out there with the cat tails and endures well during drought on that makes rock hard cracked clay.

@dairyguy are you using it for feed? If so are you drying it or putting it up as a silage. I can remember cutting some in the past that was essentially on a river bottom flood plain piece that stayed wet until august, we ended up using it as bedding simply because you couldn't get on it before it was gone by. Used to call it elephant grass, it got so big an elephant could walk in there and not be seen. The yields were incredible. The root mass was impressive as well.

I am not set up to grow rice so RC grass it is.    By the time mid summer rolls around it is so mature and dead-ish & dry it has to be hay.   It is not as absorbent as straw but keeps the calves high, dry, and warm from Thanksgiving thru mud season.    

For us it has a great mineral profile for feeding dry cows.   So use it as a niche feed and for bedding.    It is nice to have a spot to spread on too.

[chevytaHOE5674]

RCG has it place. I graze cows on lots of it in wetter parts of the pastures, also run the green chopper over some and feed it out. When the weather works out I love to make a June cutting of dry hay or balage of it as it is good feed and good tonnage per acre. It also grows back nicely for a 2nd cutting/grazing.

When baled late in the season I run the chopper in the baler then use it as bedding mainly.

[Greentree]

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