Hi Tom and everyone!
Just a few questions for you about the grazing corn. You say that you
first seed oats in April and then corn in May/June. Does this mean you
are planting the corn in the same field that you also seeded the oats
in? If so, did you have to kill off the oats first? Also, at what
point do you start grazing the corn (how tall is it)? I assume you can
only graze it once because it won't regrow, right? And again, when the
corn has been grazed do you need to kill it off before seeding oats again?
Thanks, Bill Los
Ontario, Canada
Thomas & Susan Wrchota wrote:
> HI Judy!
>
> I never responded to your question, because I figured you'd get a ton
> of responses. There are various dairy grass farmers in our grazing
> network (Fox River Graziers) who have grazed corn quite a bit.
>
> Up here (you'd have to adjust for your location), the guys like to
> drill or broadcast (if "bc" use a cultipacker--press) about 3 bushels
> of oats/acre as early as possible (as soon as we can put a tractor on
> the ground---April up here). Strip graze it when needed before booting
> (to develop more shoots), later prepare ground and use ANY type of
> cheap leafy/ late maturing corn variety----planting it around here in
> late May-early June----strip graze it up to late August in Wisc., then
> plant more oats by the 1st of September----fertilize as necessary--for
> great stockpiled feed late in the season. With proper fertility, you
> can get one heck of a production boost in a summer slump, or mild
> droughty conditions.
>
> Another method would be to prepare your ground for brown rib
> sorghum-Sudan grass (one bushel /acre) and start grazing it when
> it's about 12 inches in height (prussic toxicity), and make sure you
> don't graze it after a frost-----can graze all season, with little to
> no weed problems---highly productive.
>
> Regards,
>
> Tom Wrchota
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Judy Decker <mailto:renfarms@osprey.net>
> To: graze-l@taranaki.ac.nz <mailto:graze-l@taranaki.ac.nz>
> Cc: grassfedbeef@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:grassfedbeef@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 3:14 PM
> Subject: [Graze-l] grazing corn varieties
>
> I am going to assume that there are some varieties of corn better
> suited for grazing (cattle) than others. What varieties have some
> of you tried? What about row spacing or drilling widths? At what
> height can grazing begin, and how well does TDN and protein hold up?
>
> Soybeans. Anybody plant them for grazing? Do you have knowledge of
> some varieties that are better for one reason or another? Are they
> planted for the normal population, and are they difficult to graze
> out before bean set? (we're grassfed beef producers.)
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Judy
>
>
> Renaissance Farms Ltd
> Bill and Judy Decker
> Emporia, KS
> http://www.renfarms.com
>
