Making A Pasture

[thistlebloom]

What a pretty sight that is!

 

[farmerjan]

Looks really nice. How long will that grow until it gets too hot?

 

[Beekissed]

This is pasture #2, featured on page 1 of this thread. I turned the girls and lambs out on it yesterday for a short time. It is rye, Kentucky 32 fescue, hairy vetch and a mix of clovers. None of these will survive the heat. Still dormant, under the lush growth, is Bermuda, crab grass and a variety of forbs.

View attachment 70713

The other, summer grasses should be sprouting out in the next couple of weeks. Need to let them eat this down, then probably mow what’s left to encourage the summer grasses to reach for the sun.

Bay, there's not much more beautiful than sheep feeding in green pastures....especially one as lush as that! Can't WAIT to get there!!!! The flock is looking GOOD, my friend!

 

[Baymule]

It will be gone by May. The Bermuda will start coming out in April. I’ll let the sheep graze it hard, then mow in late April so the Bermuda can grow. I have a small pasture that runs behind the Sheep barn to the back yard that I have let them graze. Pasture #1 belongs to Ringo, it is planted the same as Pasture #2 and the side pasture. The sheep have grazed down the yard, I was stockpiling Pasture #2, letting it reach greater growth while I let them graze the yard and side pasture.

 

[HomeOnTheRange]

@Baymule, I can not remember if you every tried MaxQ Tall Fescue (Jesup)? Grows well in heat. We are starting to change out our pastures to MaxQ and Patriot Clover.

 

[Baymule]

@Baymule, I can not remember if you every tried MaxQ Tall Fescue (Jesup)? Grows well in heat. We are starting to change out our pastures to MaxQ and Patriot Clover.

Never heard of MaxQ, is it endophyte free? I planted Kentucky 32 endophyte free, but it dies back in the heat. Bermuda and Bahia are hot weather grasses. I got som giant Bermuda started last year, will plant more this year. I also am planting Bahia, Pensacola variety. I’ll look up the MaxQ and Patriot clover.

 

[farmerjan]

Yes and NO....., Max Q is a non-toxic fescue that is NOT endophyte free but has been shown to not have the toxicity of the normal fescues with a better survival rate when grown. It is well documented for some phenomenal growth in some studies on steers. It is supposed to make some very good hay if cut early, then to go somewhat dormant in the real hot weather and then start growing when a little cooler. Pennington Seed first developed it. You can pull it up on the internet and there are several grass/seed companies that carry it now. I am thinking that we might plant some in pastures where we take the cattle off for the summer, so that it will grow and provide us with more/longer grazing into the fall and winter when we bring cattle home from summer pastures. Also might be worth it for us to try planting it on some of the pastures we rotate around and see if it can get established to have more grass on some of these summer pastures, maybe earlier grazing or just to improve the overall grazing. I haven't studied up on it as far as if it will cross with the old fescues like Kentucky 31 that are infected. Many of the endophyte free ones don't hold up well and will get cross contaminated with the endophyte ones so if reseeding themselves will lose the endophyte free status.

 

[Baymule]

Thanks for that bit of wisdom @farmerjan. It probably wouldn’t stand up to the heat here, but might make a good winter grass.

 

[farmerjan]

Pennington Texoma Max Q II is supposed to be developed for the central and south central states. Pennington says it has superior performance in TX, OK, LA, AR, and MS.... If you go to the Pennington site, you can read more and there is a phone # too I think. It is not cheap, but 15 lbs to the acre is not alot. I have read that Bermuda will crowd it out in the heat when it goes dormant..... but I think it might come back. It would be worth talking to them, they might have a rep in your area that could come out and give you some advice. This is what these seed companies are there for. If a "little guy" like you guys, has good luck with it, you will sing it's praises, and the next time you are at the feed store or something, you will mention how good it has done for you, and how well the sheep have done, etc and so on and it will get around. Can't hurt to look into it.

 

[Baymule]

Thank you for that @farmerjan. I will look into it.