# Hairy Vetch Hay Questions



## OneManShow

Looking at the possibility of planting some hairy vetch to clean up a field, and to get a crop of hay next year. It was recommended by a neighbor (third or fourth generation farmer). I have absolutely no experience with vetch, except we have some along a couple fencelines. Looks like it might plug up a mower-does it? We mow with a NH 1412 and it will roll through most grass crops pretty easy-but vetch??? Also, haven't heard much about vetch hay around here either-except that in "the old days" a lot of folks grew it. I've read that it's great cattle feed, and I've also read it is toxic to cattle. Any comments??? Thanks


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## Vol

In Tennessee, we kill volunteer vetches(hairy and crown) in early spring with 2 4 D or other broadleaf applicants. It is thought of here as noxious and invasive. Albeit, it is a legume.....just not for me. Regards, Mike


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## rank

It should out compete just about everything and provide lots of N. It doesn't plug our discbine.


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## Ruckus

We have vetch in patches on an otherwise grass field. YES, it WILL damage a swather, as it puts a ton of stress on the large rotating wheel due to its tangly, vine-like growth. But, the main problem is it dries at a completely different rate than grass. So the rest of the field is ready to bale, but the vetch patches are still green and wet. This means about every flake of vetch is moldy. ugg.







Since we farm organically, I am looking at using a flame burner to stress the vetch patches and hopefully get rid of them. If I continue to do nothing, the field will likely be entirely vetch in 10 years.

Having the entire field vetch might be ok, since it would dry at the same rate, like alfalfa.

I would not seed the stuff unless you want it everywhere as it will escape the field.


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## Nitram

One man show is correct a swather will plug the reel and the conditioner both. The disc mowers fly right through it and it bales well. I agree the risk of toxins is too great to lose my livestock.


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## Toyes Hill Angus

I am not saying that there is no risk, as far as that goes, I'm not saying that I would ever want an entire feild of vetch, but I do have a small percentage volenteer in some hay and have never noticed any sort of problems described in the links provided in a previos thread about vetch. Maybe my cows have developed an immunity to low doses of it, maybe my clows have never eaten a seed from the plant (I airm to cut while the crop is lush and tender), I have never noticed a seed in the bale. I do think that pasturing cows in a vetch feild would be a mistake, but I am not going to lose sleep over it. The cows sure love it and I assume the toxin is in the seed. Right or wrong it has been working for me, but I would keep a good watch on "forenigers" (purchased animals).


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## Nitram

Toyes, I believe you are right the articles I read last summer dealt with cows in Australia i believe it was and they were put out on a field of straight Hairy Vetch. But with my luck I'm gonna be cautious with my brothers field and keep them out of it. He wants to let the bees have the flowers and by the time some of it finishes flowering there are already seed pods developing. They stated they could not identify the culprit but suspected some form of toxins. In your case I imagine there is not enough to "poison" your livestock. I guess I was hoping to find out that in the baled form there were people who fed it and had no problems.


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## hayray

One of my brome grass fields has been over-taken by hairy vetch this year. There is always some patches in the field and I have not had problems in the past but after reading these post I am gonna pass on it now.


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## farmboy6320

i baled a 12 acre patch of thick vetch for my neighbor and that night the wind got up and it blew it into the fence and into huge piles bigger then my tractor, so u mite wana watch the wind when you bale it, it could be a pain


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## Nitram

EUREKA!!! I found the secret to cutting HV with a haybine, 1 use old 1014 Heston. 2 Have 80 MPH straight line wind flatten it down 3 wait till its damn near dead with lots of cheat grass. 4. Run rpms higher than normal. 3-4 acres and wrapped up on rollers 4 times not bad. Oh yea plan on baling it tomorrow and with any luck the crap will self combustion and burn up!


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## Circle MC Farms LLC

OneManShow said:


> Looking at the possibility of planting some hairy vetch to clean up a field, and to get a crop of hay next year. It was recommended by a neighbor (third or fourth generation farmer). I have absolutely no experience with vetch, except we have some along a couple fencelines. Looks like it might plug up a mower-does it? We mow with a NH 1412 and it will roll through most grass crops pretty easy-but vetch??? Also, haven't heard much about vetch hay around here either-except that in "the old days" a lot of folks grew it. I've read that it's great cattle feed, and I've also read it is toxic to cattle. Any comments??? Thanks


Makes great feed, do have to cut it before the seed heads form, just requires management like anything else. Some of the thickest hay I've ever baled, wind can be a problem if you let your windrows set too long before baling. Also because it is a legume it will put nitrogen back into your soil which is beneficial to the other forage in your fields.


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## Hayman1

Ok, I am confused, maybe hairy vetch is different than crown vetch which we get here in patches in hayfields. Work like the devil to get rid of it for all the drying reasons stated. Funny, it looks beautiful in a bale if cured.

But-the ag ext agent told me it had high tannins content (which I can believe) and it caused livestock to sort of lose their appetite. Not good for horses or cows. Anyone else heard or read that? Or is HV different?


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## Circle MC Farms LLC

Hayman1 said:


> Ok, I am confused, maybe hairy vetch is different than crown vetch which we get here in patches in hayfields. Work like the devil to get rid of it for all the drying reasons stated. Funny, it looks beautiful in a bale if cured.
> 
> But-the ag ext agent told me it had high tannins content (which I can believe) and it caused livestock to sort of lose their appetite. Not good for horses or cows. Anyone else heard or read that? Or is HV different?


http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/vetch.html

1st picture is Hairy vetch, I've found it to be good forage and it's all that grows around here. 2nd picture is Crown vetch, and I can see why it would have the tannin issues, but none grows *here*.


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