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Hay vs row crops
#3868586
02/26/23 05:25 PM
02/26/23 05:25 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414 Scottsboro, Al
jbatey1
OP
Lucky Bastage
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OP
Lucky Bastage
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414
Scottsboro, Al
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From a wildlife standpoint, turkey and deer hunting- which would you prefer.. fields of good grass year around or rowcrop while its there, but pretty much bare fields after its harvest until its replant?
We are pulling approx 100 acres of our farm out of row crop rotation for a year or so. Depending on things, it may or may not even go back into rotation. I’ve thought about putting it into hay, either doing it myself or just going the rent route. We have no use for hay since we don’t have animals so it would be to sell and to keep the fields looking good. Way back, the property was in hay and my wife much preferred the property when we had “pretty” hay fields than when its in corn or beans.
I’ve had people tell me they think a property is better when row cropped, I’ve had others tell me they think a property is better when it has good grass year around. Ya’ll have an opinion?
From a dollar standpoint, I don’t even know what hay sells for or how worthwhile it is or isn’t doing it yourself vs renting.
The fool tells me his reasons; the wise man persuades me with my own.
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: jbatey1]
#3868606
02/26/23 05:55 PM
02/26/23 05:55 PM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,752 Awbarn, AL
CNC
Dances With Weeds
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Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,752
Awbarn, AL
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I dont think grass that's sold for hay has any real benefit to wildlife.
We dont rent pigs
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: Remington270]
#3868653
02/26/23 07:29 PM
02/26/23 07:29 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414 Scottsboro, Al
jbatey1
OP
Lucky Bastage
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OP
Lucky Bastage
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414
Scottsboro, Al
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100 acres is a lot of open ground. If it was me I’d rotate on 1/3’s or 1/4’s and burn, let grow, plant crops and leave standing etc.
Neither harvested row crop or hay provides much benefit in the winter That was my problem with row cropping, it’s great when crops are there, but after harvest, those fields are somewhat of a Barren wasteland for the most part with the exception of what naturally pops up, or the areas I plant. But once its sprayed in the spring before planting, its dead again. Maybe next year if we get back into row cropping it I’ll talk to the farmers about doing a winter crop.
The fool tells me his reasons; the wise man persuades me with my own.
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: CNC]
#3868654
02/26/23 07:30 PM
02/26/23 07:30 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414 Scottsboro, Al
jbatey1
OP
Lucky Bastage
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OP
Lucky Bastage
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414
Scottsboro, Al
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I dont think grass that's sold for hay has any real benefit to wildlife. You don’t think it acts like a year around food plot?
The fool tells me his reasons; the wise man persuades me with my own.
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: jbatey1]
#3868660
02/26/23 07:39 PM
02/26/23 07:39 PM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,752 Awbarn, AL
CNC
Dances With Weeds
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Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,752
Awbarn, AL
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I dont think grass that's sold for hay has any real benefit to wildlife. You don’t think it acts like a year around food plot? Not grasses like bahia and bermuda .......deer dont really utilize those and I dont believe their good for turkeys either.......If you wanted something that would be good for wildlife then maintain it a natural prairie of early successional plants......
Last edited by CNC; 02/26/23 07:44 PM.
We dont rent pigs
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: CNC]
#3868683
02/26/23 08:01 PM
02/26/23 08:01 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414 Scottsboro, Al
jbatey1
OP
Lucky Bastage
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OP
Lucky Bastage
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414
Scottsboro, Al
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I dont think grass that's sold for hay has any real benefit to wildlife. You don’t think it acts like a year around food plot? Not grasses like bahia and bermuda .......deer dont really utilize those and I dont believe their good for turkeys either.......If you wanted something that would be good for wildlife then maintain it a natural prairie of early successional plants...... I’m interested, but don’t know what you mean by maintain it a natural prairie of early successional plants. Can you go a little deeper about that? Or do you mean just let Mother Nature do what Mother Nature does with it?
The fool tells me his reasons; the wise man persuades me with my own.
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: jbatey1]
#3868686
02/26/23 08:11 PM
02/26/23 08:11 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414 Scottsboro, Al
jbatey1
OP
Lucky Bastage
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OP
Lucky Bastage
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414
Scottsboro, Al
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Also, when I use the term hay, I may not even be using the correct term since I don’t know what most people plant as “hay”. Let’s say I planted the whole property in Triticale and Clover. And cut and bailed it as needed.
The fool tells me his reasons; the wise man persuades me with my own.
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: jbatey1]
#3868690
02/26/23 08:17 PM
02/26/23 08:17 PM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,752 Awbarn, AL
CNC
Dances With Weeds
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Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,752
Awbarn, AL
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I’m interested, but don’t know what you mean by maintain it a natural prairie of early successional plants. Can you go a little deeper about that? Or do you mean just let Mother Nature do what Mother Nature does with it?
Yes basically let mother nature do what she does but help her along with how you go about managing it and setting back succession…….Try to improve the fertility and diversity over time…… There's lots of options for things you could do in this scenario
Last edited by CNC; 02/26/23 08:18 PM.
We dont rent pigs
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: jbatey1]
#3868724
02/26/23 09:15 PM
02/26/23 09:15 PM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,431 Boxes Cove
2Dogs
Freak of Nature
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Freak of Nature
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,431
Boxes Cove
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Hay guys won't pay the landowner nowhere near what row crop will. Why not stick with row crop and plant some "cover/plot crop" after the crops are gathered?
"Why do you ask"?
Always vote the slowest path to socialism.
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: 2Dogs]
#3868741
02/26/23 09:41 PM
02/26/23 09:41 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414 Scottsboro, Al
jbatey1
OP
Lucky Bastage
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OP
Lucky Bastage
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,414
Scottsboro, Al
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Hay guys won't pay the landowner nowhere near what row crop will. Why not stick with row crop and plant some "cover/plot crop" after the crops are gathered? That’s what I wanted from our current farmers, but they wouldn’t do it for whatever reason. I’ve had many people ask why we didn’t cover with something like winter wheat, I have no answer as to why it felt like it shouldn’t be done. We are postponing any farming for this year because of some legality things dealing with us finalizing the buyout of the other family member. If I can talk our farmers into going that route, it would be ideal. If not, I may shop it around a little.
The fool tells me his reasons; the wise man persuades me with my own.
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: jbatey1]
#3868777
02/26/23 10:38 PM
02/26/23 10:38 PM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,431 Boxes Cove
2Dogs
Freak of Nature
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Freak of Nature
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,431
Boxes Cove
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Hay guys won't pay the landowner nowhere near what row crop will. Why not stick with row crop and plant some "cover/plot crop" after the crops are gathered? That’s what I wanted from our current farmers, but they wouldn’t do it for whatever reason. I’ve had many people ask why we didn’t cover with something like winter wheat, I have no answer as to why it felt like it shouldn’t be done. We are postponing any farming for this year because of some legality things dealing with us finalizing the buyout of the other family member. If I can talk our farmers into going that route, it would be ideal. If not, I may shop it around a little. You could plant some of it yourself after they got the crop out. Then let them spray or plow it up in Spring to plant the normal crops.
"Why do you ask"?
Always vote the slowest path to socialism.
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: jbatey1]
#3868785
02/26/23 10:50 PM
02/26/23 10:50 PM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,752 Awbarn, AL
CNC
Dances With Weeds
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Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,752
Awbarn, AL
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I think its gonna come down to a matter of cost versus benefit in the end……With it being 100 acres then cost will add up quick……..$100 per acre puts you at $10K……..So you gotta ask yourself……”Is what I’m doing giving me $10K worth of value in results over what I could have done for $1K in cost ????......For someone renting farm land I suppose that money for a cover crop only represents cost to them since they don’t own the land.
Likely you lowest cost per acre for producing good wildlife habitat is to maintain it in “weedy clover” using fire, mowing, and spreading a little clover seed here and there as your means of managing it. Really all you’re doing is adding cheap clover to the “native prairie” to give it a legume in the mix for some N help and something else the deer like to eat.
We dont rent pigs
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Re: Hay vs row crops
[Re: jbatey1]
#3868803
02/26/23 11:34 PM
02/26/23 11:34 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 21,781 USA
Remington270
Freak of Nature
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Freak of Nature
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 21,781
USA
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100 acres is a lot of open ground. If it was me I’d rotate on 1/3’s or 1/4’s and burn, let grow, plant crops and leave standing etc.
Neither harvested row crop or hay provides much benefit in the winter That was my problem with row cropping, it’s great when crops are there, but after harvest, those fields are somewhat of a Barren wasteland for the most part with the exception of what naturally pops up, or the areas I plant. But once its sprayed in the spring before planting, its dead again. Maybe next year if we get back into row cropping it I’ll talk to the farmers about doing a winter crop. The NRCS will pay dollars per acre for cover cropping. Check with your county office. It would literally be a food plot. Some folks around me do it.
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