Forage Crops

HCS412 Forage Crops
Forage Establishment (Chapter 11, pg 239-261)

Methods

Full cultivation
No-till
frost seeding/broadcast
other establishment methods

Forage establishment is a costly operation (~$250-$500/ac)

	Seed, time and machinery costs (fertilizer??)
	Soil disturbance
	Lost production during establishment
	Potential for weed invasion (requiring chemical treatment pg 258-259)

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Success depends on planning

	Prior to establishment – consider what managements factors might have required the resowing
	If management is not changed, the pasture is likely to revert to what was previously present
	Fertilizer – test and correct any nutrient & pH deficiencies
	Spring vs fall – both work, do what suits the farming system
	Coated vs bare seed. Lime & fertilizer coatings do work – but they increase seed weight and decrease sowing rate, it is easier to add more seed. Rhizobia coat new legumes

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Methods

Full cultivation
No-till
frost seeding/broadcast
other

Full cultivation (Conventional) (pg 248)

	Plough, disc, roll/cultipak, sow	Brillioun seeder (click to enlarge, 66kb)
	Best seed bed quality (fine, firm)
	Advantages Reliable fastest establishment
	Disadvantages expensive many operations, can be interrupted by weather

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No-till (direct) drilling (pg 252)

Spray (if required), drill

No-till planter
(click to enlarge, 74kb)

Advantages

inexpensive
Little soil disturbance, seed bed is usually OK without modification
Ideal for renovation e.g. re-establishing legumes

Red clover no-till planted into grass stand
(click to enlarge, 111kb)

Disadvantages

Less reliable
More difficult sowing depth control if soil is uneven or machine incorrectly adjusted. Ideal depth varies with species but 5mm (¼”)
suits many small seeds
Poorer establishment
Insects can cause damage in the slot
Drill larger and often more expensive

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Frost Seeding (pg 253)

timing critical - Feb thaw, sow (double sowing rate recommended), works best for legumes (rapidly establishing species)

aclick to enlarge 226 kb
Red clover, white clover, chicory, and birdsfoot trefoil seedlings in tall fescue/Kentucky bluegrass pasture - 6 weeks after frost seeding in March 2004. Athens Co, OH. May 2004

Advantages

The only option for hill-land (aerial)
Inexpensive
Minimal soil disruption

Disadvantages

Unreliable
Very sensitive to surface drying
Low emergence rates (<5%)

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Other Establishment Methods

Planting stolons (sprigs) e.g. bermuda grass (pg 254)	Bermudagrass sprigger, LA (click to enlarge 119kb)	Bermudagrass sprigger - close-up (click to enlarge 163kb)
Broadcast sowing - Roundup spray critical, best for fast establishing species, not widely used in Ohio		Aerial broadcast sowing (click to enlarge 57kb)
Feeding seed to stock
Seed dispersal from hay
Natural re-seeding (pg254) – allowing desirable plants to flower and set-seed e.g. legumes such as white and red clover