The focus of the presentation will be on establishing fields for forage seed production. I am a forage seed production agrologist for Newfield Seeds, which includes assisting forage seed producers in the management of their crops contracted to the company. Several of these growers are direct seeders as well. I also farm with my father, and have direct seeded several different forages for some time now.
The two major differences in establishing forages for seed versus forage production is seeding rates and weed control. For seed purposes, an ideal plant population is one that is consistent throughout the field, in rows, with fewer plants that will produce many tillers. Seeding rates are half to less than a quarter of the recommended rate for forage production, which means that getting the plants off to a quick and healthy start is even more important. Often seed carriers are required to help seed flow through equipment better, especially for the chaffy seeded grasses. Weed control is a critical management step in seed production, because the product produced has to grade to required seed standards. Perennial weeds, particularly quackgrass, have been the curse of grass seed growers as there is zero tolerance to this weed in Canada or United States in pedigreed seed. Perennial weeds have to be controlled prior to seeding, because they can not be controlled after.
The basics of forage seed establishment are as with canola and other small seeded crops: seed into a shallow, firm and moist seedbed.
Almost without exception, an ideal depth for seeding is as shallow as possible, and have soil coverage. A quarter to a half-inch of packed soil is ideal. If you can't seed at this depth, err on the side of too shallow. All forages emerge better at shallow depths than at deeper depths and it is unlikely that even the strongest seedlings can emerge through one inch of packed clay soil.
As with canola, a firm seedbed is important as it enhances good seed to soil contact. What conventional tillers do is rip up a good seedbed, dry it out, and then repack it. Forages take much longer to germinate and establish than pulses and cereals, and the seed must have enough moisture available for up to 21 days. This is probably the most common cause of establishment failure, direct seeding or conventional.
This is where direct seeders have the advantage, as available surface moisture is always better in direct seeded fields. The best time to establish a forage crop is at a time when you can usually count on some moisture to follow. Traditionally the eastern half of the province receives moisture later into the year than the western half and sowing in July and early August is not uncommon in the Nipawin area. This is also why dormant seeding (October) works so well in the south, especially for direct seeders. If you feel you must seed in dry soil conditions, lay it in the dust rather than seed to the moisture.
In terms of my own personal preference, if forage production is a major part of your rotation, I like disc openers more than hoe openers, because I believe that less disturbance is always better for forages. Those old Sodbuster drills with depth bands were made for forage seed, and work well. The only concern with hoe openers is that there is often little soil flowing back onto the row when you are seeding as shallow as you should be for forages. With some equipment, such as with our Concord, there can be significant ridges between rows, which we see as a benefit except when we get a serious thundershower, and the ridges can wash down into the row, burying the seed too deep. Another consideration is how well the forage seed will flow out of the seed box or tank, and how easy it is to set low seeding rates (1 to 4 lbs/ac), or block off runs for changing row spacings. There are big differences in the equipment available, but all that I am aware of can be adapted in one way or another.
I don't have to tell you of the economics or reasons why you should be direct seeding your crop, including your forage seed, but you should be aware of negative issues that have affected me:
Frost damage was a much greater issue last year in the northeast for direct seeders than conventional types, and frost caused considerable losses to the small seeded legume crops in 1998. Companion crops account for the majority of residue, but the damage was greater where there was more trash cover, which were often direct seeded fields. The benefit gained by improved soil moisture was lost by greater frost damage.
Volunteer growth is a more important issue with direct seeding. Some volunteer crops can not be sprayed out of a forage stand, and can cause enough competition to seriously inhibit proper development or kill a stand. Manage a volunteer crop, or companion crop, or weed pressure, by haying it if the competition can not be controlled chemically.
There comes a time when your stand becomes unproductive and you will want to return to annual crop production. Glyphosate application is required to kill the stand and many forage crops can be controlled with glyphosate alone, without any tillage, such as the forage legumes, wheatgrasses, timothy, and some others. Higher rates and/or dual applications will be required. However I'm certain that you can not effectively or economically kill meadow brome, smooth brome, and the fine fescues without tillage. Keep the discer if these grasses are a part of your rotation.
There is probably no better example of how effective direct seeding forages is than with Ducks Unlimited's conservation programs. They annually seed over 20,000 acres with an establishment success rate of 98 %. In many cases, they are establishing some of the weaker seedlings, not the "easy" ones like crested wheatgrass and the bromes.