Plan now to plant small grains, offset decreased summer hay quality
A vast majority of the hay that was produced in East Texas this year (especially the first cutting due to excessive spring rains) is low in both protein and energy; thus leaving producers scratching their heads on how to fill the gap in fulfilling their herds nutritional needs.
With feed grain costs high, inter-seeding small grains in Bermuda grass pastures is a better idea than ever.
The key factor this year will be soil moisture. Most of our East Texas soils don't have deep moisture reserves due to prolonged dry spell this summer. Producers need to check for soil moisture before planting.
Whether you intend to use a prepared seedbed or plant into Bermuda grass sod, Van Zandt producers should start planning now for small grains. Now is the time to check with dealers for seed availability and price, pick the location, and test the soil.
If producers plan to plant into a prepared seedbed, now is the time to harvest forage on the intended site. If they plan to disk or drill the seed into Bermuda grass, now is the time to lime if a soil test shows they need to do so.
If they intend to plant small grains into prepared seedbed, now is also a good time to soil test and apply any needed lime. Soil pH is an important factor. However they're planted, small grains need a soil pH of 6 to do well.
Whether they drill or disk the small grain into Bermuda grass, the optimum time to do so is during the first week to mid-October.
Both disking and drilling work well in East Texas, with drilling having the advantage of not tearing up the Bermuda grass stand as much. Producers may drill or disk later than mid-October, but they're unlikely to see much extra forage until the next spring if they do so.
It is not recommended to drill or disk in small grains before early October because the Bermuda grass is still actively growing and is too competitive for the emerging small grains.
If producers are planning to plant small grains in a prepared seedbed, they should not start field work until the last part of August. Waiting serves two purposes. It allows them time to harvest existing forages before planting and, more importantly, it conserves moisture until the recommended planting time of mid-September.
A September planting date is better suited to small grains, which have much in common with cool-season grasses. Planting later also avoids some insect problems.
Which small grain should producers plant?
Theoretically, winter wheat, rye and oats will all work. In practice, oats are not cold resistant, being often killed even by the mild winters of East Texas.
Ruling out oats leaves winter wheat and rye as East Texas options. Either one is easy to establish. Either one will survive the winter and provide considerable winter forage.
Rye produces more growth in cold weather. Test results show that rye produces more forage than wheat because wheat has been bred for more grain production.
Producers may also plant a mixture of the two.
We recommend planting or drilling about 100 pounds of seed per acre of either wheat or rye, or of a mixture of the two. If a mixture is used, use at least half rye.
Another thought is to lightly disk the soil to expose some soil and plant rye grass and clover.
With fertilization costs being high, many producers are considering adding a legume such as clover or vetch to help cut nitrogen fertilizer costs and provide some additional grazing. A mixture of about 25 pounds of rye grass and 12 to 15 pounds of crimson clover or 8 to 10 pounds of arrow leaf clover works well.
Tommy Phillips is the Texas AgriLife extension agent for agriculture and natural resources for Van Zandt County.
