# let's talk oats



## tommystunes (May 26, 2010)

I felt it was too dry this fall in SE OK to plant wheat and ryegrass,my favorite early summer hay crop.

I have been considering oats this spring. (my Dad baled oats for years)

Does anyone have experience planting them with a pasture drill? I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time prepping a seedbed.

Any input would be valued.


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## LaneFarms (Apr 10, 2010)

Tommy we planted oats for several years into our bermuda grass hay fields with a no-til drill. In our fine sandy soils if you do not get good rainfall amounts it does not yield very well and we planted 100lbs. to the acre. I have baled some that would not roll 2 4X5's to the acre. On your heavier soil moisture may not be a problem. I did bale some for a neighbor one time on a prepared seed bed that rolled over 8 to the acre and was some pretty stuff.


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## Hayking (Jan 17, 2010)

we are planning on planting a couple hundread acres about the end of feb. we would like to buy our seed in the bulk but are having a hard time finding any.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

At least 2 bushel to the acre for oat hay, best oat crop we ever had was when we couldn't till along the woods or fencerows as their was still frost in the ground.

Around _here_ I think the only way you'd ever be able to buy bulk is if you found somebody that still has some in a bin from the year before and just planted bin run oats.


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## Blue Duck (Jun 4, 2009)

If oats are planted towards the end of Feb. when would you be able to cut it for hay? Early June?


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## tommystunes (May 26, 2010)

That was what dad did ,B.D., sometimes mid to lat may in SE OK....Hayking what part of the state are you in?


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## SVFHAY (Dec 5, 2008)

Never raised oats for hay but raised a lot for grain. Always figured 2-3 bushel, on the high side on good soils and on the low side for companion crop. I just sent a load of feed oats straight from the bin to South Carolina from Pa. with a delivered cost of $4 a bu. on 1500 bu. load. A lot of our certified seed comes from Canada or New York, I don't think I've ever seen it sold bulk or even in totes.


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## hmcohay (Jul 27, 2010)

We have baled oats several times down through the years. Always made good hay. The only problem we ever had was about 3 years ago and we let it head some before we baled it and the birds destroyed the twine around the bale. Made moving it a mess. Also the more it heads out the less quality you pack into each bale. I have about 30 ac I plan to bale this year.


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## Hayking (Jan 17, 2010)

Ponca City


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## hayman568 (Jan 23, 2011)

I was having a hard time making my alfalfa orchardgrass mix pay on the first year so I put oats as a cover crop, only seed a bushel to the acre, planted early april harvested late june. Cut it when it just headed out and got a touch over two ton to the acre, I was really happy with it, made the first year of alfalfa pay a little better for me, good grinding hay for feedlots.


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## tommystunes (May 26, 2010)

hayman, did you just notill it in b4 greenup in the spring? Minn is way north from here.


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

I have planted oats as a cover crop several times. Use just cheap bin run seed, drive it in the ground as early in the spring as the weather will permit and just watch the magic happen. last year I thought that I was in trouble when the rain would not hold off at early head time. (I baled it late before and was left with expensive bedding) By the time the faucet turned off and the rain quit it was even later than you would like to swath. But I did and I combined it, got a in the ballpark of one ton per acre and 1.3 3X3X7' bales per acre!With most of the spring wheat being awash with fusarium and a strong price, it was the way to go even if not what I had planned. As a bonus I sold the straw for $25 on the feild. I like oats... they give you alot of opprotinity to hit the mark, I start out shooting for hay but if that misses I still end up with something.


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