TMD Oct 1

When can I plant winter grass for my cows and what kind would you recommend?

October is here and the days are getting cooler.  Bermuda grass is not growing as fast because of the shorter days and the army worms are hopefully out of here.  Winter pastures should be close to the top of the list right now for people with livestock.

The following are two mixes that work well for cattle.  The first is a mixture you can use when disking your place before hand is an option.  The second is just for overseeding.

Oats 50-100 lbs/acre

Wheat 50-100 lb./acre

Rye (Elbon or VNS) 50-100 lb./acre

After disking spread seed and cover.  Clover and ryegrass can be applied after covering at 15-30 lbs/acre of ryegrass and the clover will vary depending on the type.

If you plan on overseeding only, go with a mixture like the following:

Ryegrass 30-50 lb./acre

            or

Ryegrass 20-40 lb./acre

Arrowleaf Clover 6-12  lb./acre

               or

Ryegrass 20-40 lb./acre

Crimson Clover 15-20 lb./acre

Remember to inoculate the clover before you spread it.  Both of these clovers work well on sandy soils.  For clay type soils you may want to consider Subterranean or Louisiana S-1 clovers.

These mixes are broad rates because everyone's situation is different.  Some people may run more head per acre than others and some soils may be more fertile than others.

My quote of the week comes from Malcolm Forbes.  It read, "If you have a job without aggravations, you don't have a job."