Are you thinking about replacing your old hay or pasture stand this spring? Our Forage Seed Specialist, Kent Price, has a few tips when it comes to preparing for the year ahead.
Renovation vs Replacement #
The first reaction to a poor-performing forage stand is offering to replace it but that may not be necessary. Nutrient removal is significant in forage production because of the large volume of biomass removed at harvest, but only a small percentage of hay and pasture stands receive fertilizer treatment annually. This leaves numerous hay fields and pastures suffering from nutrient deficiency.
Before terminating and replacing a non-productive stand, Price recommends one attempt at boosting production with fertilizer additions. If other factors like moles, gophers, weed pressure, or washouts are present, though, replacing the stand may be the right option.
Pre-Planning #
When selecting a field to plant your new stand in, ensure you choose one that’s been out of hay and pasture production for at least one year. This will help to make sure there are no remaining sod clumps or alfalfa auto-toxins to suppress new alfalfa seedlings and will give you time to control perennial weeds like quackgrass. Price also recommends planning your forage seed with your local retailer and BrettYoung Regional Account Manager (RAM) in the winter prior to seeding to ensure ample supply of your desired seed or blend.
Fertility #
“New stands should be soil tested prior to planting to gain a baseline knowledge of nutrients present,” said Price. “If phosphorus and potassium are deficient, a suitable application can be banded or soil incorporated prior to seeding as phosphorus and potassium are very environmentally stable nutrients.”
He said not to apply nitrogen or sulfur until the forage seedlings are established as much of the application will be lost to environmental factors before the stand is big enough to use the nutrients.
“Also, annual weeds will likely grow faster and be more robust than the forage seedlings and therefor cause damaging competition,” he said.
Weed Control #
The field you decide to plant the new forage stand on should be free of perennial weeds — if a lot are present, Price recommends applying glyphosate in the spring. Residual herbicides applied prior to planting and even the season before can impact your stand establishment, so it’s important to carefully review your herbicide history before planting to avoid issues with herbicide carryover.
Seeding #
Before seeding, the seedbed should be firm as loose soil will result in poor seed-to-soil contact and inconsistent seeding depth.
“A good rule of thumb is that your foot should not sink more than one to one-and-a-half inches into the prepared seedbed prior to seeding,” said Price. “If the seed is being broadcast, it should be harrowed to get adequate soil coverage. After seeding, doing one pass with a compaction tool will ensure seed-to-soil contact and fast, even germination.”
Most forage species require a shallow planting depth of half an inch, similar to canola. Seeding with a drill is preferred to improve seed placement and ensure good seed-to-soil contact.
Companion Crops #
Though forage seedlings will establish fast and produce a forage crop more quickly with no competition, a companion crop may be necessary if erosion and predation by gophers are concerns. Price said a light cereal or annual ryegrass crop are the best options — if using a cereal, he said the seeding rate should be no more than 30 lb/ac, and it should be seeded in a separate pass from the forage seed so they’re in different furrows.
Stand Evaluation #
“The forage establishment should be scouted early for an abundance of annual weeds,” said Price. “If there is heavy annual weed pressure, an application of a bromoxynil chemical like Pardner can be used on almost all mixed forage stands to reduce weed pressure. New stands are slow to establish and non-competitive so it is a good idea to watch for problem like invasive weeds that may be present in a new field so they can be dealt with before they take hold.”
An ideal new forage stand should have 10 to 12 or more live seedlings per sq. ft. If an establishment is thin or patchy, additional seed can be drilled or broadcast.
If you’re planting a new forage stand this year, be sure to enroll in BrettYoung’s Forage Establishment Guarantee. When you do everything right and Mother Nature still causes an establishment failure, we’ll cover the cost of your replacement seed. Coverage depends on when you enroll and whether or not you seed with a companion crop.
