Combining Clover Seed for Own Use - Scarify?

[DanielW]

Not sure if this is the right place to put this question: it doesn't really fit anywhere on these forums because it's not really
an old iron question, but I figure if anyone would know, folks here would:

When I put in fall rye/wheat, I typically do a heavy frost-seeding of clover into it in the early spring spring. The last couple
of times after I've taken the grain off, the clover has come back very strong and weed-free. I'm wondering about taking off the
clover as a seed crop for my own use: I always have a need for clover seed. I have two All-Crops, one of which I've used for
timothy (and even a clover re-cleaner for my threshing machine), and I have a vac-away grain cleaner with clover screens, so I
think I have all the equipment necessary to handle at least a few acres. I've used perforated sheet/screen to build grain drying
bins before, so building a small bin with a fine perforated steel bottom and a centrifugal fan inlet for drying is pretty
easy/routine work for me.

My only concern is that a friend told me they used to feed all their small seed through a scarifier/huller when he worked at a
seed company. How concerning would this be for someone like me who wants to use his own seed? I'm sure back in the day folks re-
used their own seed and didn't have any more/better equipment than I have, but maybe modern clover varieties have harder
kernels? Or maybe I'll be fine with what I have, but just have to expect a slightly lower germination rate?

Any thoughts/opinions/wild speculation is welcome.

 

[RM-MN]

Plant your clover with the winter rye. Clover loves rye. The seeds don't need any special treatment.

When I have planted with rye, when the rye is ready to harvest, the clover will be knee high in it.

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

My grandfather cut lots of clover with an All Crop. Just make sure you clean it the day you cut it to prevent any green stuff from heating.

 

[DanielW]

Thanks! That gives me hope. Clover seed's so bloody expensive lately I would really like to use my own. Plus it would let me get at least some kind of a return off my fields while letting the bulk of the plant stay in the field for organic matter/residue (which my beach-sand soil desperately needs).

It's a bit too late for me to plant clover with the rye this fall. I put the rye in late (for this area) - only a week ago. I don't think clover would have done well this close to freeze-up. I usually have much better results frost seeding at a heavy rate than I do planting clover in the fall. The soil here seems to do extremely well with frost-seeding. Quite the opposite at our Northern farm - frost seeding does almost nothing there for some reason.

 

[PJH]

There were a couple of farmers in our community that raised and sold clover seed. My neighbor on the farm next to us harvested the seed with an old AC canvas pull type combine. He had an ancient seed cleaner that he ran it through then he bagged it. I don't remember any drying or other special treatment that he gave it. He used to save the trash from the seed cleaner for me. I would spread it on my pasture. Both of those farmers said that clover seed brought more profit than corn. That was when clover seed was a dollar a pound.

 

[560Dennis]

I see you have a vac u way. Good to go

 

[chcase]

My dad combined alot of clover seed his all crop combines years ago. He had bought a clover seed screen for his. He always ran the seed threw a neighbors cleaner with in a few days. A neighbor always cut his with a swather and had a pickup on his combine. Those old combines were truly a all crop machine in the day.

 

[DanielW]

Thanks to all for the replies. If the clover next year looks as good as it has previously, I think I'll give it a shot. Nothing harm in trying, anyway. Now I just need to decide between yellow sweet clover, which does really well on my sandy soil, but doesn't bloom in its first year, or red, which doesn't do as well but would allow me to try it in the same year as seeding.

 

[caterpillar guy]

We used to clean it over with the mill as we cut it so it didn't have green trash in the seed. We also never hulled it or anything and planted some of it and sold some of it back then. direct cut it with a Gleaner E at the time. IT has been 30or more years since we did any clover seed. We were planting mammoth clover at that time.

 

[Leroy]

We cut red clover for a lot of years with AC 60 combines, Always a crop of hay then second was cut for seed. Dad always liked to mow and dry down and rake and run that way. We never had a pickup for the platforn, the grain way would pickup up that clover with out losing any I could just see a lot of seed being waisted in the mowing and raking and talked him in trying to direct cut, yield went up. We had wood flat bed wagons and put it on at about 5-6 inches thick and every day would go out with a shovel and stir it around till dry. Took to local seed house and had it cleaned a lot later after cutting. They had a big Clipper Fanning mill to clean. All was cleaned and we kept what we wanted and sold the rest. Also did same thing with timothy. Now you try to cut the clover seed with a timothy screen you WILL NOT GET ANY SEED as the clover is just slightly bigger than the timothy and will not go thru the timothy screen. I do not know what that scarify is. We had 3 different AC 60 combines over the years. Did not cut any grass-clover seed after 1980 when dairy heard left. I know mamoth and sweet clovers required different settings but we never had those to harvest. And no scour cleans on any combines. I do know the Massey Harris combine would not harvest clover seed due to different type screening.