Sudan grass- growing/feeding it

[Dave from MN]

Well, with fert prices and soil condition on that 12 acre feild(sandy dry land) next door. I am pondering this idea. Spread the lime (2ton+ acre) this spring, disc it in. Seed sudan grass and bale it for my beef cows, I believe sudan grass is a one season crop, right? Then I will seed rye next fall, or winter wheat, and harvest the next fall, and then start the chicken poop applicating and start on corn or beans the following year. This is the peice of poorer soil I am renting for next to nothing. Ok, is sudan grass a good hay for beef? When is the best time to plant? Can I get 2 crops of it if we have decent rain?

 

[Anonymous-0]

Better resurch it well. We grew it back in the 60's and I can not remember much about it. the stems are thick so it is hard to dry for hay. It will get 5 ft. high if you let it go. After you cut it you have to keep cattle off of it untill it gets over a foot high because it is poison to them when it first sprouts back from the roots.
Can't say much more been to many years.
Ken

 

[thurlow]

I assume (I know about assumptions) that you're talking sorghum-sudan grass hybrids?? Have no idea how it would work in MN; In the Mid-South, it is a 2 or 3 cuttings per year crop. It HAS to be crimped to get it dry. It's by far the highest-tonnage per acre hay crop I've ever grown. Because of the sugar content, cattle will eat it, even if it appears almost rotten. Better hay if you can cut it about waist high or a little taller, when it's still mostly leaves and not stems. One year when it rained all Spring/early Summer, mine was taller than the exhaust pipe on a 4020; cut it in 1st and 2nd gear; baled eleven 1400# bales per acre. Cattle still mostly cleaned it up. I am always bemused when I read about folks pulling a 9 ft mower conditioner with a 30 HP tractor; depends on what they're cutting, I suppose. It's an excellent, cheap source of feed for cattle (NOT HORSES), if you can get it cured.....5 days in our humid climate. Your experience may be different.

 

[keh]

Seems to be some confusion as to whether you are referring to hybrid sorgham-sudan or to regular old sudan grass. Other post covered the hybrid. Years ago we grew some sudan grass. Stems not difficult to cure and not thick like hybrid. As I recall we even cut some with a binder. Good hay for cows. Yes, it's a one season deal and so is sorgham sudan hubrid.

KEH