Hay Field question.

[peternap]

I'm trying to get a field ready to bail hay in next year. I cut it down last year and planted tall fescue to keep everything together. I cut it again Saturday and there were still a few woody shoots. I thought I;d give it one more cutting and overseed it with whatever I;m going to use for hay. Then use a pre emergence on it in the spring.

What else do I need to do. (Don't know much about hay)

[Redoverfarm]

Peter not to sound criticle but fescue is a poor selection for livestock hay. It is used primairly to hold things together such as errosion areas.  In fact most cattle will just walk around it.  Timothy, Orchard Grass, Blue Grass, and alfafa are a far better choice.  If you are intending on selling the hay then you should see what market you are trying to corner.  Horse hay is usually Timothy and blue grass based where cattle are others or a combination.

You might check with your local extension agent for the soil type and the best adaptability of various hays.  The below post might help if you take the time to check through their site. It is the Farm Bureau web site on the Ag links section.

http://www.fb.org/index.php?fuseaction=main.aglinks

[peternap]

Not critical at all John. That's what I was looking for. I guess rather than just overseeding, I should nuke the fescue first?

[Redoverfarm]

Peter what did you decide on the hay seeding combination or has the ground been too wet over there?

[peternap]

It's been too wet to do anything but I think the best approach is to use Roundup as soon as I get a few hot dry days, and replant Orchard Grass. That seems to be the favorite in the area.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

lot of folks around here just cut the native prairie grasses for hay, and alfalfa is the other popular hay crop.  Sudan grass will out-compete your weeds, BUT a big caution with it is that is forms a toxin to cattle if it gets wet (or is cut wet at all) and it can kill your livestock.  Also, I don't like it because even the small square bales weigh over 100 lbs.  The one good thing I have to say for it is that it will outgrow anything else you can plant, so if you don't mind sacrificing one cutting of hay, it'll out compete all the weeds and then you can start over with whatever you really wanted to grow.