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Green and growingBy D. Bruce Bosley Extension Agent/Cropping Systems Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Putting up quality summer annual grass hay It is difficult to put up good quality hay--hay that is dry and will not heat or mold--from summer annual grasses like sorghum-sudan hybrids, pearl millet and forage sorghums. Obviously, this type of hay, which is also called cane hay, can be challenging to bale or stack. Nearly all problems related to making good summer grass or cane hay are caused by the stems. Stems are low in protein and energy, slow to dry, and the lower stems contain most of the nitrates. To solve some of these problems, cut early, when plants are only waist high and there is less plant volume, stems are smaller and readily eaten and the hay contains more protein and energy. The smaller stems also will help facilitate faster drying. Regardless of when you harvest, cut it high, leaving 8 to 10 inches of stubble. Tall stubble pays off three ways--it helps plants begin regrowth quicker, it holds hay off the ground so air can help dry underneath, and it keeps many nitrates out in the field stubble rather than in your hay. And finally, always crimp cane hay. Even when stems are small, the waxy coating on the stem slows drying. If you break open these stems by crimping, water can escape and evaporate more quickly. Time to plant turnips for fall grazing To get more grazing and a longer season, now is the time to plant turnips into wheat or oat stubble. Turnips provide good grazing beginning in October and often lasting into the new year. Another benefit is that turnips are cheap to plant with seed often costing less than $5 per acre. Seedbed preparation and planting can be done several ways. Some turnip growers work soil like a fully prepared alfalfa seedbed. Others heavily disk their ground, but leave it fairly rough before broadcasting seed. A few growers spray Roundup® or Gramoxone® on wheat or oat stubble to kill weeds and then plant no-till. Whatever method you choose, good early weed control is essential. Turnips do poorly if weeds get ahead of them, but once started, turnips compete very well. Since no herbicides are labeled for turnips, weeds must be controlled either by tillage or by using contact herbicides like Roundup or Gramoxone before planting. Then plant quickly to get the turnips off and running. Plant only two to three pounds of turnip seed per acre. The seed is very small, so barely cover it. Simply broadcasting seed onto tilled soils works well for many growers, especially on rough seedbeds where rainfall or irrigation washes soil onto the seeds for soil coverage. If you drill seed, just scratch the surface with the openers. With a few timely rains you could have excellent green feed for late October, November and December. Please contact me, Bruce Bosley about these or other cropping systems or natural resource topics at 522-3200, extension 285 in Sterling or 542-3540 in Fort Morgan. Date: 8/22/07
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