By Russ Quinn
DTN Staff Reporter
OMAHA (DTN) -- Livestock producers who are in need of additional pasture or hay in late September and October could use an August seeding of oats for some additional forage. This system can produce extra tons of forage, but the crop needs moisture during this time and also enough time to grow before the end of the growing season.
WHERE TO PLANT
Keith Johnson, Purdue University Extension forage specialist, told DTN while planting oats in August for fall forage is a viable options for some farmers, others may not have anywhere to plant August oats. The state of Indiana had about 12 million acres of corn and soybeans planted this spring but only about 500,000 acres of winter wheat, a crop with which this system can work as a second crop, he said.
"We see very little August-planted oats here in Indiana with most of our fields in corn and soybean production," Johnson told DTN. "We do have some winter wheat acres but usually the southern half of the state plants soybeans, not oats, as a second crop."
Johnson said there would be certain cropping situations in which August-planted oats would make sense. Winter wheat fields already harvested are the most obviously choice, followed by a hay field with a thin stand. Another situation that lends itself toward this possible scenario would be corn chopped for silage in August.
Purdue has done several studies on forages seeded in July and beyond, and Johnson said the research has shown timely completed fall forages can provide additional feed in a relatively short amount of time.
"With the right rainfall, you could see 1.5 to 2 tons (an acre) in yield, which is pretty good," he said.
UNDERUSED FORAGE
Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln forage specialist, said oats is one of the most underused forages that could be used for fall forage. The crop has several advantages, he said.
"It grows fast, thrives under cool fall conditions and has a good feed value," Anderson said in a news release. "Plus, it dies out over winter so it protects soil without causing plant problems next spring."
Anderson said producers should drill about three bushels per acre in August for maximum yield potential. Oats can even be flown onto corn fields damaged by weather or set to be chopped early for silage, although rye tends to work better for flying on seed.
Fields with herbicide carryover should be avoided and a top-dressing fertilizer trip of 40 pounds of nitrogen an acre should be applied unless the previous crop was heavily fertilized, he said. The oats should be ready for grazing or cutting for hay in about six to eight weeks, depending on moisture levels.
Anderson said grazers should be careful about grass tetany, a nutritional disease, on lush oat pasture and advised cattle producers to ask their veterinarian about supplementing with magnesium. He also recommended not turning cattle out into oat pasture if they have been grazing short or day pastures as sudden respiratory problems could occur.
If you plan to cut the oats for hay, he said to cut soon after plants begin to dry out following a killing freeze. Oats can also be cut sooner if they reach a desirable growth stage before a freeze, he said.
NEW PRACTICE
Karl Jacobson, a Concordia, Kansas, farmer, said he is considering planting some oats this August for fall forage for the first time ever on a north-central Kansas farm. He would no-till the oats into standing winter wheat stubble.
"We have had decent rains here so far this summer and things look OK," Jacobson said. "We should have plenty of alfalfa and prairie hay, but we could always use more forage."
He figures he would use the forage by grazing his cow/calf herd on it, mostly likely in October. While he is considering planting some acres to August-seeded oats, he doesn't plan on devoting very many acres to this new venture.
"Like I said, I have never planted oats this time of year before but I am considering it this year," he said.
In addition to August seeding oats for additional forage, Jacobson said he would like to someday plant some cover crops and graze these forages as well.
Russ Quinn can be reached at russ.quinn@dtn.com
Follow Russ Quinn on Twitter @RussQuinnDTN
(SK/CZ)
© Copyright 2016 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.