Crops

Lespedeza hay for horses

I have a 40-acre horse farm. For the past 14 years I've noticed some lespedeza in old fence rows. This year I bushhogged pastures and two weeks later found a fairly heathly lespedeza crop in pastures I have not fetilized. I read G4515, Annual Lespedeza and want to know if it can be used as hay for horses? If so when and what do I look for in timing the harvest?

It is possible to harvest lespedeza for hay. However, it is known to shatter during baling. This would be leaf shatter, which results in a dusty hay similar to red clover hay with trichome shattering. If you feed red clover hay, you would probably find this hay no worse or better. But your concern would be the dust that can cause colic in horses.

If the weather permits and you have a good stand, you should put up lespedeza hay in late July. If you have to wait, you would want to put it up no later than August; this will allow it to reseed for next year. Annual lespedeza reseeds in September and early October.

Craig Roberts
State Forage Specialist

Orchardgrass cultivars

I've read G4511, Orchardgrass. Where can I purchase this grass seed?

In Missouri, the orchardgrass cultivars to plant would be those with increased persistence. From the data I have seen, there are cultivars with increased persistence; one of these is 'Persist' orchardgrass. The Web site tells you where you can purchase this cultivar. There are also cultivars with a less persistence; these would include 'Hallmark' and 'Shiloh II.'

Craig Roberts
State Forage Specialist

Converting toxic tall fescue to another forage

I want to burn down a fescue pasture, then plant it in either wheat or oats to cut for hay. I would like to double crop sudan then reseed with cool season grass or legume mixture. Which crop would you recommend?

It sounds like you are taking a reasonable approach to converting toxic tall fescue to another forage. The process of replacement is called "spray-smother-spray." We like to make sure we smother over the summer, as you are doing, with millet or sudangrass. I would use the summer pasture then do the second spray in late August. Then I would plant and do a rain dance.

From all the science I have seen and practice I know of, the best new pasture would be MaxQ. It is a tall fescue. However, its toxic fungus has been taken out and replaced with a non-toxic fungus. The newly infected tall fescue gives excellent cattle performance and is much more persistent than the old "endophyte-free" tall fescues.

For information on MaxQ, contact MFA, Pennington, or a local seed dealer. And follow closely their planting recommendations. Do not include legumes until the fall pasture is well established.

Craig Roberts
State Forage Specialist

Restore orchard grass

One of my hay fields in Polk County used to have a good stand of orchard grass. A late spring frost seems to have almost eliminated most of the orchard grass in the field. I am thinking about planting more orchard grass. I have the following questions. Is it too late to plant this year? If I plant in early spring will the grass be ready for hay production, or since orchard grass is a perennial, should I see if it recovers next year?

It might be wise to see if there is a green-up in the early warm days of next spring. However, if you have good rains this fall and still do not have a green-up, you will not have a green-up next spring and would need to replant.

It is not wise to plant this late anyway. For fall planting in Polk County orchardgrass should be planted the first week of September. Its seedlings usually fail to survive the winter unless they have at least 45 days of growth before the killing frost.

If you planted orchardgrass in the spring of 2008 (about the second or third week of March in your county) and had good rain, you could probably get a hay cut in late May and certainly in early June. For more information, please see the links below to the MU guides on grass production.

Craig Roberts
State Forage Specialist

Grass for horses and cattle

I want to grow hay to sell to both horse and cattle owners. I would like a grass with multiple cuttings, three if possible. I do not want to plant alfalfa, but was thinking of orchard grass, timothy or rye grass. What do you recommend?

The grass that comes to mind is bermudagrass. Horse owners like the grass as do cattlemen. It is possible to cut it two to three times per year, and it is more persistent than the three cool-season grasses you mentioned. The cultivar to sprig would be Ozark, which will be available next year.

If you plant orchardgrass, timothy, and ryegrass (perennial), you will have a good horse hay. You could get three cuttings if you were to take a fall cutting and have ideal weather for a spring and early summer cutting. Otherwise, you will probably only get two cuttings. Also, you will probably see the stand thin within four years or so. These are not very persistent forages, though they do perform well in pockets of Missouri.

Craig Roberts
State Forage Specialist