Summer Annuals Going into Fall
Some graziers leave summer annuals growing into the fall, and wonder whether they can and should take advantage of these last fits of growth. The answer is that it’s possible, but you shouldn’t sacrifice a fall planting to do so. Also, you’ve heard about dangers like nitrates and prussic acid that come with stressed plants,…
Spring Annuals: A well-planned, last minute forage
Early spring is not too late to make the move to supplement your pastures with high-energy forage that can be grown in 60 days or less. Whether they stretch perennial pastures or winter annual small grain forage you planted this fall, spring annuals help diversify your inventory. They can also be part of a renovation…
A Pasture Pick-Me-Up for Summer
Beef cattle grazing Mojo Crabgrass in North Carolina (Photo by Josh Baker) Improved forage crabgrass varieties are not weeds, but high-quality, high-producing forages that fit well from the Mid-Atlantic region through the Southeast. With good fertility and moisture conditions, crabgrass forage can yield 3-5 tons of dry matter. As a low-growing summer annual crop, crabgrass…
The best advice for a small grain forage stand after a balmy start to winter? Leave it alone
Damage from grazing heavily frosted Cosaque Winter Oats, Georgia Did your small grain forages get away from you during the fall? It’s been a common problem this winter. Snow mold from overgrown winter annual forage is certainly a risk, but we still don’t recommend cutting or grazing in the middle of winter. You probably did…
Sugar Cane Aphid Alert and Precautions for 2016
“Sugarcane aphids (SCA) have now been found in Lubbock and Hale counties in Texas. This is much farther north and earlier than what was observed in Texas in 2015. Although this is concerning, it does not give us any indication of how serious SCA may be this season for the South Plains and Panhandle of…
Encouraging Word: Don’t Cut Corners With Seed Cost
When money is tight we all begin to look for ways to cut costs. After all, cutting cost is the best way to increase profitability. Or is it? When it comes to seed selection during this economic low, the temptation will be to ignore what we know about varietal differences and look for the varieties…
Seed Drill Calibration
“Calibration of equipment by trial and error as you plant several acres can be costly in many ways.” Wear and tear on a seed drill can have a huge effect on the setting, and with any drill, you never know what you are putting down until you calibrate by hand. It’s also important to check the…
BMR Gene 6 Forages!
Consult Page 53 of our Product Information Guide for management info on Sudangrass, Sorghum Sudan and Forage Sorghum! BMR Gene 6 is the most pronounced of the BMR Genes. For your cows, this means higher digestibility, higher energy, higher intake and higher production versus Non BMR and BMR 12. BMR Gene 6 Highlights Forage Sorghum –…
Diverse Yet Smart Cover Crop and Forage Mixes: 4 Rules for Perfect Pairings
Ray’s Crazy Fall Mix in North Carolina, one of our newer and more popular mixes where diversity performs When you make a mix or interseed one crop in another for a “relay effect”, you’re looking for the most bang for your diversity buck. Taking care to mix a few carefully selected species that are well…
Small Grains, The Backbone of Many a Rotation
You may look at most small grains – oats, rye, wheat, triticale, barley, spelt – and think of either grain or forage. As it happens, small grains also make excellent cover crops. They are easy and economical to establish and grow, great at building soil, and helpful for uptaking excess nutrients. Get them in the…
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