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FORAGE PLANTING loam soils with good drainage The Midwest Cattleman · April 1, 2021 · P14
continued from page 13 and are more difficult on clay at the right depth. ing, short, and stiff-strawed
soils or poorly drained soils. 7. When seeding into a small grain varieties, (ii) plant
the new alfalfa varieties are You will want no-till fields to tilled seedbed, drills with small grains at 1.5-2.0 bu/A,
sold with a 34% clay coating be smooth because you do not press wheels are the best (iii) remove companion crop
by weight, so your actual pure want to bounce over them for choice. When seeding without as early pasture or silage, and
live seed rate would be dra- all the years of this stand! press wheels or when broad- (iv) do not apply additional ni-
matically reduced if you don’t 5. Try to finish seeding by casting seed, cultipack before trogen to the companion crop.
adjust for the seed coating. the end of April in southern and after dropping the seed, 9. During the first 6 to 8
3. Calibrate forage seeders Ohio and by the first of May in preferably in the same direc- weeks after seeding, scout
ahead of time. Seed flow can northern Ohio. Timely plant- tion the seeder was driven. new seedings weekly for any
vary greatly for different va- ing gives forage seedlings the 8. In fields with little ero- developing weed or insect
rieties and depending on the jump on weeds and the forag- sion hazard, direct seedings problems. Weed competition
seed treatment and coatings es become established before without a companion crop during the first six weeks is
applied. summer stress sets in. Weed in the spring allows har- most damaging to stand es-
4. Prepare a good seedbed pressure increases with later vesting two or three crops tablishment. Potato leafhop-
as soon as soils are fit in April. plantings, and forages will not of high-quality forage in the per damage on legumes in
The ideal seedbed for conven- have as strong a root system seeding year, particularly particular can be a concern
tional seedings is smooth, developed by early summer when seeding alfalfa and red beginning in late May to early
firm, and weed-free. Don’t when conditions can turn dry clover. For conventional seed- June.
overwork the soil. Too much and hot. Later plantings also ings on erosion prone fields, a 10. The first harvest of the
tillage depletes moisture and yield less, so if planting is de- small grain companion crop new seeding should generally
increases the risk of surface layed, it might be better to can reduce the erosion haz- be delayed until early flower-
crusting. Firm the seedbed plant a summer annual and ard and will also help com- ing of legumes (approximately
before seeding to ensure good establish the perennial forag- pete with weeds. Companion 60 days after emergence) un-
seed-soil contact and reduce es in August. crops like oat can also help on less weeds were not controlled
the rate of drying in the seed 6. Plant seed shallow (¼ to soils prone to surface crust- adequately and are threaten-
zone. Cultipackers and cul- ½ inch deep) in good contact ing. Companion crops usually ing to smother the stand. For
timulchers are excellent im- with the soil. Stop and check increase total forage tonnage pure grass seedings, general-
plements for firming the soil. the actual depth of the seed in in the seeding year, but forage ly harvest after 70 days from
If residue cover is more than the field when you first start quality will be lower than di- planting, unless weeds are
35% use a no-till drill. No-till planting. This is especially rect seeded legumes. Take the encroaching in which case the
seeding is an excellent choice important with no-till drills. following precautions to avoid stand should be clipped earli-
where soil erosion is a haz- In my experience, seeding excessive competition of the er to avoid weed seed produc-
ard. No-till forage seedings some seed on the surface indi- companion crop with forage tion.
are most successful on silt cates most of the seed is about seedlings: (i) use early-matur-