Forage Sorghum

[3 M L & C]

Going to plant a pivot or two next spring. Save some water and reduce expenses. There are tons of different varieties around anyone have any advice on what to plant? I usually just plant some Magnum BMR from star seed. Just for my own use but pretty much all this will be sold. Going to be baled up. Local feedlot will by pretty much any quality for 80-85 dollars a ton. So don't know if I should just plant something that makes crap load of bales and just dump them there or plant something of superior quality and advertise for cow feed.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

I'm sure that Magnum BMR seed will be TOP NOTCH stuff. :wink: :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Big Swede]

I've never been a big fan of forage sorghum for hay, so hard to get dried down to bale, but I'm sure you could visit with your seed dealer for the best option. I am also thinking of ideas for what to plant on my pivots next year. Can't see planting corn to break even. I'm thinking about planting oats for hay or grain and then coming back with a cover crop to graze. I should have done that this year but I already had my seed corn bought.

 

[loomixguy]

Going to plant a pivot or two next spring. Save some water and reduce expenses. There are tons of different varieties around anyone have any advice on what to plant? I usually just plant some Magnum BMR from star seed. Just for my own use but pretty much all this will be sold. Going to be baled up. Local feedlot will by pretty much any quality for 80-85 dollars a ton. So don't know if I should just plant something that makes crap load of bales and just dump them there or plant something of superior quality and advertise for cow feed.

Get something in writing from the feedyard first. The ones around here are notorious for saying one thing and doing something else. It's the same amount of work and expense to get the feed put up...I'd go for quality, hope for getting a good product baled up, and then let the market decide whether it goes privately or to the old standby purchaser....the feedyard. Just my two cents.

 

[jigs]

if I was betting, you would not be getting that price out of CRP right now...better get them to commit to a price in writing ..... lot of guys are paying that for grinder hay

 

[3 M L & C]

I'm planting one pivot to triticale and going to sell to them as silage then probably plant some Sudan on there and see what I end up with. I'm like you big swede. Can't see the sense in planting corn and hoping to break even. Also trying to save water. Around here very little feed of any kind grown. 95% of the ground is corn beans milo or wheat. My dad had some two year old corn stalk bales he was using for a wind break that he got $80 a ton for last month. I didn't think they were even worth burning. :wink: I'm not to worried about getting rid of them they were buying staw bales from South Dakota this summer. They feed lot of distillers so need just anything for filler. Just don't know if there is some varietys to stay away from. Planning on planting it early as can then knocking it down mid August. Gererally dry as heck and hot as well to dry it out.

 

[Faster horses]

I've never been a big fan of forage sorghum for hay, so hard to get dried down to bale, but I'm sure you could visit with your seed dealer for the best option. I am also thinking of ideas for what to plant on my pivots next year. Can't see planting corn to break even. I'm thinking about planting oats for hay or grain and then coming back with a cover crop to graze. I should have done that this year but I already had my seed corn bought.

We've seen a LOT of oats planted this spring in the Black Hills, which was unusual. Why did they choose oats?
The last time we were down there, theyhad cut the oats for hay. There was some beautiful crops....just beautiful.

 

[Denny]

I've never been a big fan of forage sorghum for hay, so hard to get dried down to bale, but I'm sure you could visit with your seed dealer for the best option. I am also thinking of ideas for what to plant on my pivots next year. Can't see planting corn to break even. I'm thinking about planting oats for hay or grain and then coming back with a cover crop to graze. I should have done that this year but I already had my seed corn bought.

We've seen a LOT of oats planted this spring in the Black Hills, which was unusual. Why did they choose oats?
The last time we were down there, theyhad cut the oats for hay. There was some beautiful crops....just beautiful.

We planted oats. Baled about 10 acres and grazed the rest. We grazed them early on dureing ai season and came back on them again about a week ago.I have some rank bales of meadow hay out there and they are picking at them some. Cows are very loose but the calves are gaining well.In all it was 40 acres total all was seeded down to clover,alfalfa,tre-foil plus other grasses.Should make some good hay next year.

I think alot of people plant oats because they a cheap to plant and are very versitile in use's graze,bale,chop or combine.

 

[Faster horses]

I've never been a big fan of forage sorghum for hay, so hard to get dried down to bale, but I'm sure you could visit with your seed dealer for the best option. I am also thinking of ideas for what to plant on my pivots next year. Can't see planting corn to break even. I'm thinking about planting oats for hay or grain and then coming back with a cover crop to graze. I should have done that this year but I already had my seed corn bought.

We've seen a LOT of oats planted this spring in the Black Hills, which was unusual. Why did they choose oats?
The last time we were down there, theyhad cut the oats for hay. There was some beautiful crops....just beautiful.

We planted oats. Baled about 10 acres and grazed the rest. We grazed them early on dureing ai season and came back on them again about a week ago.I have some rank bales of meadow hay out there and they are picking at them some. Cows are very loose but the calves are gaining well.In all it was 40 acres total all was seeded down to clover,alfalfa,tre-foil plus other grasses.Should make some good hay next year.

I think alot of people plant oats because they a cheap to plant and are very versitile in use's graze,bale,chop or combine.

We've always liked oats. You just didn't see them much anymore, There was acres and acres of them along the highway in the Hills. Was nice to see.

 

[BRG]

We plant oats for hay every year. Some years we chop some as well. This year we hayed it all. It was the best crop we have ever had. It was from waist to nose tall. It makes great feed when put up right. We will unroll it along with alfalfa/grass hay to our first calf heifers, while the rest will all be ground and used in the bull/heifer development rations in the lots.

 

[Bar M]

We put in a Pioneer variety it is Sorghum/Sudan mix. tonned out pretty good this year. But then again I think everything did.
Yes there are pro's and cons to everything sorghum isn't the fastest dry, and oats as soon as it gets a little hot and dry wants to push a head right away, but if you are putting it underwater wouldn't be a problem.
And if a guys starts talking varieties of seed to plant it could turn into the great mineral debate! I think it should all be good as long as it gets some good hot weather and make your windrows as wide as possible and they don't get rained on.

 

[katrina]

We are cutting our corn acres too. We planted millet and cut sudan for silage maybe with some corn. I was waiting for a horse class and had a really good visit with a Mr. Beiber (sp) no till. Was a good visit. Amazing who and what you find at a horse show. LOL