At the coffee shops and at the producer meetings in the winter of 1998, it seemed the conversation often turned to growing forages. With such interest in forages, Florian Balawyder, Grant Peterson, Ernie Patrick, Extension Agrologist and I decided to set up a forage demonstration.
The demonstration has a number of objectives. The first is to show that forages can be successfully direct seeded. The effect a cover crop has on the forage stand is the second objective. The third objective is to determine what, if any, the effect of fertilizer has on the establishment of a forage stand. Timing of harvest and the effect it has on the stand in the second year is the fourth objective. And the final objective is to showcase a number of grass varieties.
The demonstration site is located on a field of Grant Peterson's, just south of Preeceville. Barley was grown in 1997 and the stubble left standing. On May 22, the site was sprayed with 1.0 l/acre Roundup to control the volunteer barley and winter annuals. Seeding occurred May 28.
A plot-sized Conserva Pak with 12 inch row spacings seeded the plot. The grasses were seeded east-west. The grass varieties, seeded directly into the standing barley stubble, included perennial rye, meadow brome, smooth brome, crested wheat, timothy, creeping red fescue and tall fescue.
The grasses were then cross-seeded to various rates of oats. Various fertilizer treatments were also applied to the plot. Some of the oats with each grass variety were cut as for green feed on July 31. While this is not a scientific study, our findings showed that an increase in green feed yield was achieved as the seeding rate of the oats was increased from 17 lbs/acre to 35 lbs/acre. A higher seeding rate did not result in higher green feed yields.
The remainder of the oats was left to be harvested to determine if the time of cutting will make a difference to the yield of the grasses in subsequent years.
The site was evaluated Sept. 4, about the time the oats could have been harvested. Generally the grasses were fairly well established across the treatment that had received 40 lbs N but no oats. The grasses were beginning to shoot up where the oats had been cut in July. Most of the grasses were barely visible where the mature oats were standing, regardless of the seeding rate of the oats.
Due to a lack of equipment, the mature oats were not harvested in the fall, therefore, no grain yield data is available.
This spring and summer we will continue with the demonstration, monitoring the stands.
The establishment of these plots is a cooperative effort between the Sask. Soil Conservation Assoc. and Sask. Agriculture and Food. Sponsorship for the plot has been provided by Preeceville Implements, Bal Com Seeds, and Monsanto.