We FINALLY get a couple hens, and a tom on the farm. First ones that have actually stayed all spring. And I do this cutting hay tonight!!! 13 in the clutch. Chicks were just developing feathers. I'm sick about it. Talked to my Cuz the biologist, and he thinks its early enough she will try again. All the cut over thick woods we have around there for her to nest in, and she HAD to do it in the middle of the dang hay!!! :roll eyes: If i had known, or seen it in time, I would have left the hay in a big area around the nest, and mowed it the second cut after they were gone. Hope the other hen was a little smarter.

It happens..

Bummer!

I know how you feel. I lost a nest couple years ago just by spooking the hen off of it. She never came back.

And, I mowed over a fawn once and that stopped me mowing until July but I was just clearing brush not making hay. Not much you can do when these things happen. h.h.

WARM SEASON GRASS not ready to cut till July, See the advantage

No, I don't…..

Study the benefits of WSG for awhile and you will clearly see. Someone on the Internet trying the best they can to explain is next to impossible. That's why periodic field days are a wealth of information. Cool season grasses vs. warm season grasses are like night and dayl

By July the Fawns are big enough to get up and Run or they are not even staying in the Hay fields A couple of yrs ago I cut WSG in early July The Fawns in the fields were Up and running when the Mowing machine wasn't even close when they are first born they wont move for anything not being detected is their defense when a little Older (First Of July) getting out of the Zip code is More acceptable and the turkeys are all ready hatched

I need to bush hog big time! I'm letting it go for a bit.
1. I've seen the fawns .
2. My turkey season sucked!
3. My bones hurt and I'm gonna wait another week or two.

If you are making hay to feed cattle are WSG as good for feed? Do you get as many cuttings?

I think sometimes business decisions trump wildlife management especially when it affects you. h.h.

Glad you ask!! WSG grass fed Calves will weigh 100 to 150 lbs more than cool season fed Calves fed the same amounts in controlled studies WSG hay will produce up to 6 tons per acre and its ready to cut when we have good Hay weather we cut mine on thursday at around 4 and bailed it the next day 4 the thing to remember is its not cool season and cant be treated as such Get the University of Tennessee publication NO. PB1752 by Craig Harper It covers EVERYTHING.. A friend here got 65 1500lb bails off 6 acres Cave In Rock Switch Grass in ONE cutting and could have gotten a second

What about Big and Little Bluestem for cattle. TDN figures in there some where, but time erased that information.

Correct! Working farm FIRST, or there would be no farm!

Dale:

How long to get WSG established enough to get the 65 bales in 6 acres?

Protein content compared of WSG to to straight alfalfa.?

If your friend waited to July to cut it, I would believe he got 65 bales. Although your friend got 65 bales on 6 acres, how many more cuttings can he get?

You can't tell me that the warm and cool season grasses produce the same tonnage per acre per season and are as palatable as alfalfa and orchard grass. Also, if it was so good for cattle, EVERYBODY raising cattle would be growing it for feed. Bottom line, you can't grow the same amount, and quality of feed utilizing grasses on the same # of acres as alfalfa.

Yaz He Bought back CRP during the Drought WSG doesnt know what a drought is it was that late till they released it it was the second year protein is not as high the thing is it is more digestable they get more out of what they eat, they People dont utilize it because they dont have the Paietence to let it mature can take 3 yrs to get there but not when done right and honestly its a mind set thing change is hard. he could have gotten another cut. we have a test plot going on here in Jefferson co . Took the first cutting 4 big bales . drilled 10 LB,s per acre Big Bluestem Indian Grass Virginia rye and a small amount of red top on 2 acres sprayed it 2 days OH and his cows pick through the feeders looking for the Switch Grass. later will keep posted

It is an interesting concept. There are too many what-ifs for me, and it takes too long to get established. I know what I have going on works well. Maybe not for quail, rabbit, and turkey nesting cover……. Like I said before. Farm has to support itself, or there is no farm. The wild animals just get to live there if they want. I still have an approximate 2 acre waterway that I been meaning to get Nate to help me with. I do intend on putting WSG in there. WIsh I had done it before now. Its not in a place to easily access to cut once crops are in. I can work through that though. May try to bale it to see if my spoiled *** cows would touch it. Keep me up to date on what you find out.

WSG can be established in one year. http://www.epestsolutions.com/Plateau-Herbicide-for-Prairie-Grass-Management.html

I have drilled and followed the success and failures of over 1000 acres WSG in Southeast Indiana One year successes can be had IF everything works, and have had many but impatience is the main cause of most failures and Lack of a good fescue control,,, My suggestions are for what works in this area from my experience and what I have seen first Hand. Just finished up the last of 150 acres this year ,, the earliest I have finished.. The best are drilled the closest to June 15th the NRCS cut off.. one of the best and a One year success was finished July 6th or seventh in Riply County

I had to remind a District Biologist one day when he was lamenting about some projects of WSG that he was trying to complete but had run out of time, and was going to have to complete them the next year, that he could pursue the "frost seeding" path to keep the landowners on the front burner. He had gotten so busy that he had forgotten that idea. Haven't seen him in a long time, so don't know how it went. Do like the Truax hand seeder idea for fluffy seed for small or difficult areas, somebody was thinking out of the box for once.

Frost seeding will work for Switch grass but a waste of seed for the fluffy stuff the Truex Hand seeder is one heavy awkward piece of equipment Switz Co SWCD has one. I let my 30 yr old use it LOL, Shooter Your new NRCS DC Shasta was here for a while

Several years ago, I got a small plot of WSG mixture going at Cikana Fish Hatchery off of St.Rd. 37 north of town by having a friend churn up a small area with chisel plow and used a hand spreader by mixing some pellitized lime to keep it flowing. Wasn't easy, but got it done. Nice looking plot now. Attended a program up at Pigeon River years ago, and watched a burn. That was hot. One of the guys wanted to show me one area that they thought they had screwed up, so they hit it hard with round up to kill every thing so they could start over, and low and behold the WSG came up big time. They said that they were still in the learning process. You should see some of the Eastern Gamma Grass plants that are in a lot back of our house. Had started a few just for giggles and somehow the critters must have spread it up there. Rabbits hide under the stuff every year. Usually burn it each year when the first shoots are about one inch tall, and now they are massive. Tried to get some going around a pond on a farm which you guys did a WSG, CRP field awhile back. Even froze the seed to simulate winter effect before seeding, but no luck. Have to try it again during this falls deer season. I'll just keep trying till I get it right.

shooter try frost seeding around the Pond with Switch grass switch grass sometimes has a 50%dormancy try Cave-in-Rock Call Tom Applegate at 219-275-3664 for seed he will get you the ecotype that works best for you switch grass likes wet feet use in place of the Gamma Grass