Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Hay fields left over the winter

Hi there,

I have some orchard grass pastures that were left over the winter from the last growing season. Now they are all under about 4 feet of snow.

Is it worth while to cut and bale the hay in the spring, or simply roll it and over-seed with some cover crops to give it a new life? Fields have not been used for grazing for a few years.

Thanks

Views: 293

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Harry Stam on March 3, 2016 at 2:09am

Greg,

The question you asked cannot be answered correctly without more information. What exactly do you want with these pastures? Do you want to keep them as pastures? Orchard grass can be fertilized in the spring to increase volumes or you can broadcast some legumes to make it a more pasture mix type of crop. You can no-till oats into the standing hay and allow it to grow to add volume. It all depends on what you want the pasture land to do, If the land is flat and level no-tilling is a possibility unless there is too much cover crop to start with. However if the crop is too thick I would question why you would need to do anything. Run the cattle in and let them harvest.

Harry 

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Promoting Canadian ag in Asia

Ministers hope visits and trade missions result in more opportunities for Canadian ag

USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for Virginia Disaster Areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that people recovering from Tropical Storm Helene may be eligible for food assistance through USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Approximately 22,858 households in nine counties are estimated to be eligible for this relief to help with grocery expenses.

MNP To Provide Essential Information For Area Farmers

Farmers in our area work hard to keep the family farm going and successful. MNP is looking to help those farming families thrive with their new series of events providing different strategies focusing on the agricultural industry

Cool Bean: Consider planting earlier

Research across the Midwest has shown that early-planted soybean have greater yield potential compared to those planted later. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency in 2023 worked with Science for Success Soybean Specialists across the country and shifted the earliest soybean-planting date in states where data was available.

Trade Deal with Indonesia an Opportunity for Canadian Agriculture

The culmination of trade talks with Indonesia should eventually translate into plenty of opportunity for Canadian agriculture, trade and commodity groups say. 

© 2024   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service