Tx. Jim

[Texasmark]

Jim,

You have any Johnson grass or sorghum-sudan scheduled for hay this year? I do, replanted the Gotcha Plus.
Saw a notice from TAMU that the mild winter and early spring will show a significant increase in Sugar Cane Aphids attacking especially these crops and Horn Fly problems on cattle both with multiple reproductive cycles through the summer and into the fall. Now that I know what they are, how to recognize, and what they do, I will be on the watch and will treat accordingly.

They said they hit us in 2014 for the first time. You know that picture of that 8' S-S I have shown several times. It was whacked hard on the regrowth in 2014. Didn't know what they were so I contacted tamu extension office for help. Tell you this. Those PhDs who are the ag. extension part of TAMU have a multi state group that extends from Florida up through Nebraska working together, sharing information, and looking for root causes and cures. Real involved, close nit group that know what's going on.

Whadda deal.

Mark

 

[Tx Jim]

Mark
Only Johnsongrass I bale is what isn't controlled in Coastal fields. Maybe those Sugarcane aphids will eliminate JG forever???:cool2:

 

[Texasmark]

Mark
Only Johnsongrass I bale is what isn't controlled in Coastal fields. Maybe those Sugarcane aphids will eliminate JG forever???:cool2:

Welll considering how hardy it is, and how little maintenance it requires, and how it "was" what you got for hay before sorghum-sudan around here, and the cows seem to do good on it with some NPK, I see it coming in my hay patch and I may just roll over and grin......as the saying goes.

I just spent about a 10 pass rejuvenation on this current hay patch starting with the Hay King in 3 passes (straight and an X) then the soil roller discs...I called a one way, you corrected me on it's real name....blackland clay substitute for a moldboard), then the offset, then the disc harrow then the roto tiller then the harrow and after a couple of rains finally planted Apr.1 which was just a few days after I quit the prep. Today, JG shoots are everywhere and up 4" or so. The SS is just now showing sprouts. Like Coastal, you can't kill it, just make it happier. Grin :cool2:...I think? Maybe not....:confused3:.

 

[Tx Jim]

Sounds as if you have your hay field tilled up very well. I'll 2nd that Johnsongrass is very hard to kill but can't tolerate intensive grazing by animals. Johnsongrass hay if fert & cut/baled at the correct time is very hard to beat. Most animals will stop eating other types of hay except legume type hays to eat good JG hay. Problem is JG in a Coastal field takes longer to dry than Coastal & uneducated animal owners don't normally like JG in their Coastal hay bales. Then throw in the fact that JG can contain Prussic acid or nitrate poisoning.

 

[Texasmark]

Problem is JG in a Coastal field takes longer to dry than Coastal & uneducated animal owners don't normally like JG in their Coastal hay bales. Then throw in the fact that JG can contain Prussic acid or nitrate poisoning.

Yepper on both counts. I have to laugh at horse hay buyers when you see what a lot of horses eat when running among cattle. I even had a CYA warning on my bags of SS seed to not feed it to horses. Equine sellers (yourself probably included on hay for them) love horse owners $$$$$$$ grin...if you can tolerate their whims.

 

[Tx Jim]

I have some neighbors that have a lot of Mustangs that the owners evidently think can only eat #1 fertilized,pea green Coastal hay. The owners evidently don't consider that these same BLM horses survived on much poorer vegetation when they roamed free in Utah & Nevada. These owners buy hay that has had human sludge applied. When these people bought this place several yrs back there was a round pen lined with boards. The boards are all but gone because these same horses ate the boards.

 

[Texasmark]

They buy for themselves, not their horses. Same thing here. So called "improved pasture" (big joke) full of briars, A-Z brand weeds, goldenrod looking stuff that grows off late in the summer with a 12" real hard stem, sucks all the nutrients out of the soil, horses out there right along with the cows trying to make a meal. Never see a dead one nor the vet's drug truck.

2 days ago I dug around in the dirt and saw some little "worms" about one quarter of an inch long protruding from some seeds. Today I check and I have little babies about one inch long. Tomorrow we are scheduled for rain and for the next several days. I think there'll be a crop this year. I planted April 1. Right on time. :cool2:

 

[Texasmark]

Jim,

I just sent you a private message.

 

[Tx Jim]

Mark
I sent you a reply. Sorry for the delay but my message alert on this site showed "no new messages".
Jim