# My turn to try Teff.



## Josh in WNY

So there have been several different people on here who have tried Teff and I guess it's now my turn. I'll try to remember to update this thread as I go along this summer so the next person who wants to give Teff a try won't have to search around as much.

Anyway, I have a 5 acre field that is coming out of silage corn last year and will be going back into timothy in the fall (it was RR corn, so I know there isn't a herbicide issue). My plan is to put teff on it this spring and try and get two cuttings. After the second cutting, I'll plow it under and fall seed the timothy in. I'm hoping that this will allow me to not lose a year of production on the field and still fall seed the timothy I normally grow. I want to have the teff in by mid-May so I can take the first cutting in mid to late June and the second in late July or early August. Depending on how spring goes, I may be able to get it planted sooner than that, but we'll see.

Does this seem like it would work? Any suggestions on doing something a little different?

Some other questions I have...

Fertilizer: I took a soil sample of the field today and will be dropping it off tomorrow to have it sent for testing. I'm expecting a week or so before I get results. From what I've read, I don't really want to put any nitrogen on, but is there anything else I should look for? I'll post the soil test results as soon as I have them.

Seeding: I'm planning on using seed from my local dealer who I've been pretty happy with for my timothy, birdsfoot and alfalfa that I've seeded in the past. If interested, the website for their Teff is https://www.preferredseed.com/detail/index.cfm?nPID=156. Also, their teff seed is coated. I have an older Brillion seeder with just the small seed box, but it doesn't have Teff listed on the setting chart. Is there a seed that is close enough in size that I could compare it to? Is coated teff seed similar in size to Timothy seed? I may be able to borrow another farmers newer Brillion seeder, but I try not borrow equipment if I don't have to and I don't know if his seeder has a teff setting on it either.

I'm sure I'll have more questions as we go along. As usual, thanks in advance for your help.

Josh


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## Farmerbrown2

Teff require 65 degree soil to germinate that's how to judge planting date.

I planted moxie teff coated seed very close to the alfafla setting on my 510 IH drill.

It's a crap shoot you like it or hate it I hated it never again.


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## NebTrac

Farmerbrown is right. When I planted my teff the guy who I rent my drill from told me that since teff is smaller seed he set drill to about ½ of alfalfa setting. In fact I doubt there is a drill in America that has a Teff setting. I could be wrong...but.

Well I caught and weighed it and set drill for 4#'s of acre ( 4 or 6 I can't remember), when I got done the setting is where alfalfa would've been.

I had good luck with mine, but it was under pivot so I was able to water it right away. This was following forage oats, planted it about July 10 here in Nebraska.

The lesson I learned is to cut it earlier than you think. I'd never seen the plant before, so I really had nothing to go by. It matures fairly quickly, so be on top of that and cut it accordingly. I really never had the dry down issues some on here claim. I believe I was able to bale it in about 3 days.

The earlier stuff we cut, prior to heading (mostly) came in at around 14% Crude Protein, and the later stuff that was post heading came in a little above 12% CP. Everyone we sold to seemed pretty happy with it and we got along very well with our own livestock with Teff.

Probably more info than you cared to know, but that is my "1" year experience.

Good Luck,

Troy


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## IH 1586

I tried it one year and would like to try again when have more time to devote to it. We are in about the same climate and I don't think I would put it in much earlier than memorial day. This year might be different but always that chance of a late hard frost.


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## Hayman1

I am guessing Memorial day is about right for you guys. Our published frost date is around may 20-25 and twice when I planted it on the 15th, I looked at the 10 day to make sure they were forcasting minimums of the 40s at night so did ok. You have a soil temp requirement and teff will not take a hint of frost. germinates in about 5-7 days if there is any moisture in the ground or you get a shower. covers quickly. Cut it when the teff is about 18-20 inches height, cut high, about 4" stubble height and get it off quickly (because the stubble is popping through. unless you have perfect weather with a breeze, you are looking at 4-5 days cure unless you can wetwrap.

I plant about 10-14#/ac, get cuttings every 30 days on the button. I used 50-50-50. It does not seem to respond to topdressing. I wasn't going to plant anymore but now I am going to notill teff in timothy stubble after first cutting to get ready for replanting timothy in fall, rick


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## Josh in WNY

Looking at the frost maps I found online, it looks like the latest frost date for my area is around May 20th, which would probably still work. That is about a week before Memorial Day weekend and I'd probably be able to trust the weather forecast that far out. Even if I get it in later, I figure I can still cut it in late June to get a decent 2nd cutting. Might lose a few bales per acre, but it's still better than letting weeds grow on it until fall.

As for soil temps, I haven't been able to find much information on that. Would corn be about the same or does it germinate in cooler soil temps?

Concerning the seeder, the one I can borrow is new enough that it is listed on the teff chart that Brillion put out (http://teffgrass.com/wp-content/themes/tg/downloads/Brillion_Planter_Settings1.pdf). The other nice thing is that it is a wider seeder with hydraulic lift. Mine is only an 8 foot unit and the wheels are only for transporting it. The info from the seed company says to plant at 8lbs per acre, so that would mean two 50lbs bags. I'm not sure I want to spend the extra money on a third bag for this first test just to seed at a higher rate (might regret that later, but we'll see).

I've read the 4 inch cutting height as well and that is about where I normally cut my hay at. I do remember someone mentioning cutting it a little lower to stunt it a little so that it didn't start growing up through the mowed crop before it was baled off though. How quickly does the field green up if there is decent ground moisture? I'm thinking it will probably be at least a 4 day timeframe between mowing and baling due to teff not drying like the grass I'm used to and the fact that this field is partially shaded.

Thanks for all the help so far.


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## zimbo

Hi josh,
I assume youve seen this site,http://teffgrass.com
In South Africa we grow a lot of teff, some do well with it and some don't. One of the key points seems to be the planting depth. A lot of farmers here use a teff planter with a front and rear roller with a small seed box between them.
The seed is pretty much spread on the surface and "buried" by the 2nd roller. 
Warmer soils seem to give better results.
Let me know if you want a pic of a planter. Good luck. Ryan


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## Josh in WNY

zimbo said:


> Hi josh,
> I assume youve seen this site,http://teffgrass.com
> In South Africa we grow a lot of teff, some do well with it and some don't. One of the key points seems to be the planting depth. A lot of farmers here use a teff planter with a front and rear roller with a small seed box between them.
> The seed is pretty much spread on the surface and "buried" by the 2nd roller.
> Warmer soils seem to give better results.
> Let me know if you want a pic of a planter. Good luck. Ryan


Thanks, Zimbo and welcome to haytalk. Yes, I have looked at that website and found a lot of good information there. Is the teff grown around you grown for forage or for grain?

The planter you described sounds exactly like what my Brillion seeder is.


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## zimbo

Around here most teff is grown as fodder. Its often used as a short term rotation in vegetables to break the parasite life cycle in veg crops such as peas. The horse owners love it and its about 40% more expensive than Eragrostis Curvula that most people grow long term for fodder.

Ive attached a couple of examples of our planters - very basic machines


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## luke strawwalker

zimbo said:


> Around here most teff is grown as fodder. Its often used as a short term rotation in vegetables to break the parasite life cycle in veg crops such as peas. The horse owners love it and its about 40% more expensive than Eragrostis Curvula that most people grow long term for fodder.
> 
> Ive attached a couple of examples of our planters - very basic machines


Nice planters. Here those are basically called a "Brillion seeder".

Later! OL J R : )


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## Josh in WNY

OK, so I finally got the field plowed up last Sunday and am planning on planting it this weekend (thankfully, I have a 4-day weekend to get it done). I took some pics before, during and after plowing. The ground turned over really nice, but I'm a little concerned about getting it packed down well enough to have the firm seedbed that everyone says teff needs. I'm planing on running over the field with the cultimulcher a couple times and then using the Brillion to seed it down. We also have some rain in the forecast, so that might help firm up the dirt too.

Yeah, I know the 4230 was a bit overkill for the plow, but the other tractors are still hibernating in the barn.


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## slvr98svt

Looks great Josh. I am hoping to give Teff a try this year as well. I wont be able to get it in the ground until next weekend but hopefully wont be a problem. I am up on Lake Ontario between Rochester and Oswego, right by Sodus Bay. I wonder how much of a difference the area will make on the tonnage.


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## Teslan

My Teff is just now really
Coming up. Planted about 10 days ago.


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## Bgriffin856

We had snow ten days ago....

That really turned over very nice. Being it isn't too cloddy itll make a fine seed bed for teff I think

Nice pictures


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## Josh in WNY

Yeah, I was really impressed with how well it broke up. I'm used to plowing heavy clay sod, not gravel that's been in corn for two years.

Here's the soil test that I took earlier this spring. Looks like I really need to push the P and K and probably will include a mineral pack as well. From what I've read, I shouldn't have to worry too much about N, correct? I do have the free stall for my sister's horse that needs to be cleaned out, so I could spread that on the field after the first cutting is off. Would that be all I need? One thing to keep in mind is that I'll be plowing this all under this fall to seed it back into timothy and I can do another application of fert (and probably a little lime) at that time.

Thanks in advance, Josh

View attachment Quick Print.pdf


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## Hayman1

I was using 60 units of N with my teff at plant. most of the literature I have read seems to suggest that it is a perfect crop to follow alfalfa and used N from that. I haven't seen a grass that did not benefit from a little N. Did not see enough benefit from topdressing with N after first cutting the one time I tried it but that could have been due to a number of factors.


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## Josh in WNY

Hayman1 said:


> I was using 60 units of N with my teff at plant. most of the literature I have read seems to suggest that it is a perfect crop to follow alfalfa and used N from that. I haven't seen a grass that did not benefit from a little N. Did not see enough benefit from topdressing with N after first cutting the one time I tried it but that could have been due to a number of factors.


I guess most of what I've read has been related to too much N causing the teff to lodge. Given how low the P and K are though, I think I might limit the N in the mix and bump up the amounts of P and K to get the numbers up. This is the first time I have ever tested or fertilized the field so I didn't realize how low the numbers actually were.


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## Hayman1

from what I have seen, the lodging mostly comes from not cutting it before it develops a seed head. If you can get it cut around 20-22 inches height and avoid the shear winds in a storm, you should be alright. Last year I had both, strong storm with high shear wind and cut too late as june did not give us any teff making weather. and, I definitely had lodging. Year before, beautiful stand and a July 3 storm laid it on the ground but we had 65-70 mph straight winds and it took down a lot of 24" diam trees


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## Josh in WNY

I got the field seeded yesterday. Came out pretty nice, but it's getting kinda dry. Hope we get some rain soon, but the forecast isn't calling for anything until Thursday at the earliest. We did get a little sprinkle Saturday evening, so I hope there's enough moisture in the soil to let the seed germinate and get started.

I set the seeder for the same as alfalfa at 8 to 9 pounds per acre and ended up seeding 7.6 lbs per acre (recommended rate on the bag of seed was 8 lbs per acre). A little lighter than I wanted, but we'll see what it ends up like.


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## Hayman1

seems like when you want 4-6 days of dry weather for haymaking, you can't buy it. When you want 1/2 inch for germination you can't buy it. What gives? I would gladly send all our showers your way in exchange for a good spell of dry sunny weather. At least our ground is now dry enough that I am not making tract marks when I cut even with a healthy shower last night.


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## SCtrailrider

Well this is my first try at Teff, I only planted it in a 3ac field so I wouldn't need to keep it clean till I plant Fescue this fall.

I was over zealous this spring and planted it here in upstate SC around the first of April.

It did sprout great then sat due to cool temps, but when it warmed up some it did grow fast.

I cut it last week, it was a little thin in places & thick & tall in others, didn't expect much.

Made a bale or 2, the thing is, once it was cut it grew 6-8" while it laid and dried and it's going to be ready to cut again in less than 2 weeks and has really filled out.

If I had more unused fields I'd sure do it again altho it does require time that my other fields don't..

I can see how a large field of it could be a high producer...


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## Josh in WNY

Checked the rain gage when I got home and we got 0.6 inches today. Hopefully that will kickstart the seed a little bit.


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## SCtrailrider

We have had several rain showers in the past 2 weeks here in upstate SC.

I have never seen anything grow this fast, I cut my 3ac field 2 1/2 weeks ago, and it is ready again so I'll be at it again Monday..

There is a 13ac field beside my place that is really over run with stuff, lots of sumac and junk. The owner has leased it out and the new lease holder wants it rejuvenated for hay & cattle later once the land is back into shape. I'm meeting with him today and I'm going to suggest plowing this summer several times and be ready to plant something like oats or something that can be hayed in the spring then Teff next summer. He has seen my little Teff patch and can't believe how it grows. They also sell some hay at their family business so maybe I'll have a chance to see how a larger field will produce.. The only reason I planted it was to keep the weeds gone and for me not to need to keep the 3ac clean until I plant Fescue this fall... The hay does have a nice green color to it and it smells good also, I think the horsey folks will like it....


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## Josh in WNY

Stopped by the field on the way home last night and found some teff starting to pop up (at least I think/hope it's teff).


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## Teslan

Josh in WNY said:


> Stopped by the field on the way home last night and found some teff starting to pop up (at least I think/hope it's teff).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> KIMG0069.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> KIMG0070.jpg


Looks like Teff to me. My teff is really starting to take off now. Yesterday I think it grew about 2-3 inches. It was 94 degrees. It has now surpassed in height the orchard and brome grass planted in a the field next to it. Which was planted two weeks earlier. I'm going to spray the teff next week. Has quite a few broadleafs coming. Sadly there is some watergrass growing in some areas also. Just have to live with that I guess.


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## Teslan

SCtrailrider said:


> We have had several rain showers in the past 2 weeks here in upstate SC.
> 
> I have never seen anything grow this fast, I cut my 3ac field 2 1/2 weeks ago, and it is ready again so I'll be at it again Monday..
> 
> There is a 13ac field beside my place that is really over run with stuff, lots of sumac and junk. The owner has leased it out and the new lease holder wants it rejuvenated for hay & cattle later once the land is back into shape. I'm meeting with him today and I'm going to suggest plowing this summer several times and be ready to plant something like oats or something that can be hayed in the spring then Teff next summer. He has seen my little Teff patch and can't believe how it grows. They also sell some hay at their family business so maybe I'll have a chance to see how a larger field will produce.. The only reason I planted it was to keep the weeds gone and for me not to need to keep the 3ac clean until I plant Fescue this fall... The hay does have a nice green color to it and it smells good also, I think the horsey folks will like it....


If you don't want it to grow back so fast. For example if you need more time to get the cut teff off the field. Just cut it lower. Under the recommended 4 inch cut height. It won't hurt it. Just cause it to not grow quite so fast at first.


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## slvr98svt

Well better late than never I guess. Finally got a little over 7 acres in between 2 fields today. Going to get another 11 in tomw and that will be my experiment with teff for the year.


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## clowers

slvr98svt said:


> Well better late than never I guess. Finally got a little over 7 acres in between 2 fields today. Going to get another 11 in tomw and that will be my experiment with teff for the year.


Good luck


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## Teslan

Teff field. About 6 inches high. This is when I love Teff. When it's growing like crazy in the heat. Ok. added photo. Sorry its sideways. I'm not working well with pictures today.


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## luke strawwalker

There fixed it for ya. Nice looking field of grass...

Later! OL J R


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## Hawk40

Heading out to Idaho right now, will get the first look at mine since we planted it 10 days ago. Got a bad feeling the ground has gotten to cold over the last several days. Highs have been back into the low 60's with overnights in the 30's.
Maybe not the place for teff


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## Teslan

Hawk40 said:


> Heading out to Idaho right now, will get the first look at mine since we planted it 10 days ago. Got a bad feeling the ground has gotten to cold over the last several days. Highs have been back into the low 60's with overnights in the 30's.
> Maybe not the place for teff


yeah if it's growing it's probably not growing very fast. That's pretty cold for June?


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## Hawk40

June is a crazy month here, it all depends on the sun, if it's out its hot if not its cold. Not unusual for June to be worse than May, at least till about the 3rd week then it usually turns hot and very dry.
First week was mid eighties, but cloudy and very cool since.
Planted on the 8th, you can just see some coming up today but ya have to really look close.
I don't care if it's slow right now but concerned a percentage may not germinate at all.


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## kenanselm

I am also trying Teff for the first time. I am using a Haybuster No Till drill. The coated Teff seed is about the same size as my Timothy seed so I used the same setting on the Teff and it worked out just perfect, pound to pound as what the chart called for on the Haybuster.

I adjusted the drill to where it placed the seed as close to 1/8 to 1/4 inch as I could get and got a half inch rain the following day. I seeded only 4 days ago (June 15th) so to early to tell what the results will be, should know soon.

Good luck to you.


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## Teslan

Hawk40 said:


> 13 days old and you can finally see it without a microscope.


So it survived the cold? Looks like a pretty good stand. Mine looked lousy at first. Now growing fast. I had to spray for weeds a week ago.


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## Hawk40

Looks like it just delayed germination.
Weed pressure is not bad yet but their coming, how far along does the teff have be before I can spray?


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## Teslan

Hawk40 said:


> Looks like it just delayed germination.
> Weed pressure is not bad yet but their coming, how far along does the teff have be before I can spray?


I had the coop spray when it was about 4 inches. I have a bad broadleaf seed problem in my field that rears it's head whenever something is planted thanks to a tenant raising "organic" corn 7 years ago. Organic meaning he never cultivated and let the weeds grow wild in the corn.


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## r82230

Teslan said:


> I had the coop spray when it was about 4 inches. I have a bad broadleaf seed problem in my field that rears it's head whenever something is planted thanks to a tenant raising "organic" corn 7 years ago. Organic meaning he never cultivated and let the weeds grow wild in the corn.


Teslan, I would not put all the blame on the 'organic guy', I try to attach a site from a experiment that is still going on in MY area of the country. Have to admit, it is a depressing experiment however (there is one of the weeds still germinating after 120 years).
Larry

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-worlds-longestrunning-experiment-is-buried-in-a-secret-spot-in-Michigan

http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2000/120-year-old-experiment-sprouts-new-gardening-knowledge/


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## Hawk40

Another "non teff weather" day in N Idaho.
Think this might be the last of it for several days now.


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## halfmoonfarm01

Tried something different, had a bag of Teff left from last year so I dragged the pasture where we fed them over the winter. Planted it the end of April, some of the ground was broken up and most was very hard and had barely been scratched, April had been hot and dry. Used my brillion seeder, it started raining in May and it all sprouted, it did not grow much as it was to cold for it most of the month. Last week in May it started to warm up and it took off growing. I turned the cows in when it was about 18" tall. They did not leave the area with the Teff for about a week.


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## Teslan

Thanks for your post. No one on here really has done any pasturing of teff. I won't as I don't have cows, but it's good to know for those that might want to try.


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## Hugh

My question is: Once the seeds are up, does Teff need irrigation? Or, a better question, how much water does it need? We are hot and dry here for most of the summer...


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## Hawk40

Hugh said:


> My question is: Once the seeds are up, does Teff need irrigation? Or, a better question, how much water does it need? We are hot and dry here for most of the summer...


We'll find out, I have half a pivot planted with dry corners.


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## Wcbr1025

Teslan said:


> I had the coop spray when it was about 4 inches. I have a bad broadleaf seed problem in my field that rears it's head whenever something is planted thanks to a tenant raising "organic" corn 7 years ago. Organic meaning he never cultivated and let the weeds grow wild in the corn.


What are you guys spraying for broadleaf control in teff? 2,4-D?


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## Hawk40

Teslan--- I stumbled into an article about Weld county a while back, I didn't realize it was such a huge Ag producer, something like 4th most valuable in the country.
Where does the water come from?


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## Hawk40

Wcbr1025 said:


> What are you guys spraying for broadleaf control in teff? 2,4-D?


I assumed I would spray 2,4-D and Chaperral, but I haven't checked the label yet, still waiting for it to grow enough to spray, until this week we couldn't seem to string more than 3 days together over 60 degrees. I'm still waiting for some of that much talked about global warming to arrive in these parts


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## zandstrafarms

For what it's worth, I'm doing teff 1st time too.

Live in michigan, planted early June with temps in 70's. Previously had winter rye which we baled off then drug field with a drag several times to break up the rye.

Had a bit of fertilizer left from my grass hay field so I threw it on for kicks.

No seeder yet, so we broadcast spread with lawnmower spreader behind the side by side! Then tractor ran a cultipacker over it.
Planned 15 pounds per acre... dumped 25 lbs doing first row (whoops). Luckily I had the rest of the bag and reset the seeder and did much better.

Honestly I think its coming up the best in the areas I reseed ed without the cultipacker. Soil was quite firm when we planted.

Don't recommend seeding like this, but a broadcast spreader with better adjustments would be perfect.

It's rained lightly a few times,and is about 8 inches tall now. Field is very patchy thanks to my poor skills and filling with weeds, but growing.

Also, I read that weed killers will kill teff. ...


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## Teslan

My Teff is about ready to cut. However 70% chance of thunderstorms on Thursday or Friday so I won't be cutting yet. I planted mostly Tiffany teff supplied by SWMNhay. But then I ran a little short so I bought a couple bags of Dessie Teff locally (It's all they had). The Tessie teff has started to head out, but the Tiffany at the same growth height hasn't yet. I noticed the Dessie teff came up first though and seemed to grow faster at first, but as of right now it appears to have a lower production then the Tiffany.


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## Teslan

Hawk40 said:


> Teslan--- I stumbled into an article about Weld county a while back, I didn't realize it was such a huge Ag producer, something like 4th most valuable in the country.
> Where does the water come from?


Snowpack in the mountains.


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## Teslan

Wcbr1025 said:


> What are you guys spraying for broadleaf control in teff? 2,4-D?


Latigo is the brand of herbicide recommended for Teff grass, but it is a mix of Dicamba and 2-4D. It has worked really well for me. I had the coop spray it and they got a really good broadleaf kill and it didn't affect the Teff at all.


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## Teslan

Hugh said:


> My question is: Once the seeds are up, does Teff need irrigation? Or, a better question, how much water does it need? We are hot and dry here for most of the summer...


I found it needs a little more then Alfalfa. Just because it doesn't root down as far.


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## swmnhay

Teslan said:


> My Teff is about ready to cut. However 70% chance of thunderstorms on Thursday or Friday so I won't be cutting yet. I planted mostly Tiffany teff supplied by SWMNhay. But then I ran a little short so I bought a couple bags of Tessie Teff locally (It's all they had). The Tessie teff has started to head out, but the Tiffany at the same growth height hasn't yet. I noticed the Tessie teff came up first though and seemed to grow faster at first, but as of right now it appears to have a lower production then the Tiffany.


Was it Dessie Teff? I never heard of Tessie.

Glad to here the Tiffany should produce more.


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## Teslan

swmnhay said:


> Was it Dessie Teff? I never heard of Tessie.
> 
> Glad to here the Tiffany should produce more.


Yes Dessie. It was a lot more expensive also. If I plant Teff again in the same field next year I'll need to order more from you.


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## Teslan

I cut my 70 acres of teff yesterday. True to form today it feels dry enough to bale. I will not be fooled Teff!


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## SCtrailrider

I have cut 2 times now, very little rain between 1 & 2 cut, still made 1 - 1K roll per ac...

Third cut is about ready, seems that "Tiffany" does well for me, with only a 3ac field and no water it has kept the weeds gone, I haven't sprayed anything and didn't spread any fertilizer at all, I only planted it to keep something on the field till fall plating with fescue & og...

I have had several of the local folks ask what it is I have planted as it doesn't seem to want water at all and here in the upstate we are very dry & uper 90's every day for weeks now...

I think next year I will over seed my horse pastures and see how that works....

So far I like it and the horses really like it also and I noticed when rolled up it has a "sweet" smell and stays fresh smelling ....

I think if someone watered their Teff they would need to keep the cutter hooked up as about every few weeks you will be working the fields....


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## Teslan

SCtrailrider said:


> I have cut 2 times now, very little rain between 1 & 2 cut, still made 1 - 1K roll per ac...
> 
> Third cut is about ready, seems that "Tiffany" does well for me, with only a 3ac field and no water it has kept the weeds gone, I haven't sprayed anything and didn't spread any fertilizer at all, I only planted it to keep something on the field till fall plating with fescue & og...
> 
> I have had several of the local folks ask what it is I have planted as it doesn't seem to want water at all and here in the upstate we are very dry & uper 90's every day for weeks now...
> 
> I think next year I will over seed my horse pastures and see how that works....
> 
> So far I like it and the horses really like it also and I noticed when rolled up it has a "sweet" smell and stays fresh smelling ....
> 
> I think if someone watered their Teff they would need to keep the cutter hooked up as about every few weeks you will be working the fields....


I water mine. I would have 6 inch tall teff if I didn't. In fact some parts showed kinda dry when I cut it for some reason. I thought at first that something must be wrong with some of the downspouts on my pivot, but on the other side of the field it's fine. Must be the soil. I anticipate I'll be cutting again the first part of August. Hoping for a Sept cutting and a last cutting right before frost in October.


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## Josh in WNY

Wow, I hadn't realized how long it had been since I jumped on here to read what was going on. Luckily I did remember to take a few pictures along the way. This first picture was taken on June 15 (I seeded the field on May 29). As you can see, there was a little bit of a seeding rate issue with one side of the seeder (but that turned out to provide some interesting observation... more on that later).









The next two pictures were taken on June 19 and show the stand really starting to put up some leaves. I determined that it was the left half of the seeder that had somehow reduced it's application rate and left the nice strip pattern on the field.















I mowed last evening and was a little late. Some of the teff had started to head out, but not too much. The big problem was that we had a thunderstorm go through in the morning and the wind had lodged some of the teff. The mower did an OK job of picking it up, but I wish I hadn't waited this long. The teff was around 18 inches tall for most of the field and was pretty thick. I really like how leafy it is and I hope I can get it dried and baled up by Sunday evening. We are supposed to get some more rain on Monday. The interesting thing I noticed was that the spots that the seeder had applied at a lower rate had a thinner stand (obviously) that didn't seem to lodge as much or as badly as the thicker parts of the field. The downside was I did notice a few weeds that had managed to not be crowded out in the thinner spots, but nothing too bad. I'll let you know how I make out with the baling.


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## clowers

That is beautiful hay. Keep us updated with pics.

scott


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## SCtrailrider

I have made 2 cuts so far and the 3rd is late, very late now... We haven't had a drop of rain sense I cut 4 weeks ago and this is what it looks like today, I have been waiting on the "chance" of storms everyday the past week but haven't seen any... uper 90's every day, the ground is so dry I don't know how this stuff is still standing, one thing for sure is it will block nearly all weeds...

Next year I'm going to plant a horse pasture, about 3ac maybe it will shade the fescue some from the heat...


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## Hayman1

SCtrailrider said:


> I have made 2 cuts so far and the 3rd is late, very late now... We haven't had a drop of rain sense I cut 4 weeks ago and this is what it looks like today, I have been waiting on the "chance" of storms everyday the past week but haven't seen any... uper 90's every day, the ground is so dry I don't know how this stuff is still standing, one thing for sure is it will block nearly all weeds...
> 
> Next year I'm going to plant a horse pasture, about 3ac maybe it will shade the fescue some from the heat...


SC, I experienced this last year. No rain for about 6 weeks and no teff regrowth to speak of. Makes me wonder what kind of regrowth in dry seasons they get in Ethiopia where it comes from.


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## Teslan

I forgot to take pictures of my Teff as I cut and baled it. It turned out less production then I had hoped. I got about 1.5 tons an acre. I've sold half of it already which is good for about $194 a ton. We had a good stretch of dry days so it dried down really good. I tedded about half right after cutting until the stupid tedder fell apart so the rest was just in windrows. Though what was in windrows dried at the same rate as the tedded teff. Got the forage test results back and the protein is 14.3 and RFV 103. So that's ok. Probably will cut again in 3 weeks. Then again. Then again. I've been asked by buyers if the forage test changes per cutting like orchard and brome. I have no idea? Anyone know? I guess I'll find out.


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## SCtrailrider

Don't know as I don't test anything, it's for my own use so with this type of weather I'm glad to get what I can... I know my horses love the stuff....


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## NebTrac

Teslan said:


> I tedded about half right after cutting until the stupid tedder fell apart so the rest was just in windrows.


That's a bummer. Didn't you just buy that last year Teslan?

On a different note, I no tilled my Teff on about the 25 of June into oat stubble. It's really looking nice now. I'll try and get some pictures up here yet today.

Troy


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## Hawk40

This stuff is hating life in north Idaho.
Good stand, fertile ground, pivot water, but we still can't string together enough hot days and mild nights to get it off its butt.
Looks healthy and has good color but it's six weeks old and about six inches high.
But it didn't break the ground for 8-10 days. We haven't had any summer here except for a couple days here and there. So far July had been cooler than May. Starting to wonder if I should bother spraying weeds.


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## SCtrailrider

Hawk40 said:


> This stuff is hating life in north Idaho.
> Good stand, fertile ground, pivot water, but we still can't string together enough hot days and mild nights to get it off its butt.
> Looks healthy and has good color but it's six weeks old and about six inches high.
> But it didn't break the ground for 8-10 days. We haven't had any summer here except for a couple days here and there. So far July had been cooler than May. Starting to wonder if I should bother spraying weeds.


I planted mine in April, it did the same thing, just sat their.. I ran the bush hog over it and it started growing.. might think about cutting it and make it start ??


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## Teslan

NebTrac said:


> That's a bummer. Didn't you just buy that last year Teslan?
> 
> Troy


Yes. And it only has tedded 70 acres this year. I guess it didn't really fall apart. Just felt like it at the time. A tire went flat and ruined the wheel. The big back road transport wheels had a small little bolt break or come out and the rod holding it onto the tedder came out so then the carriage sagged and bent the rod plus the hydraulic cylinder push rod. Didn't even notice the whole transport carriage sagging until tried to put it down to pick up the flat tire. Hired man was operating it. It is a somewhat rough field so this wasn't entirely unexpected knowing the weakness of this tedder. So now the tedder will sit until fall or until I have time to do something about it. Maybe never.... Worst equipment buying decision I've made. Tedder aspect. Good decision. New Holland brand tedder, BAD decision. It has made me thinking badly about New Holland as a whole. That and New Holland throwing the local New Holland dealer under the bus recently so after 60 more days there will no longer be a New Holland dealer in Colorado.


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## Teslan

Hawk40 said:


> This stuff is hating life in north Idaho.
> Good stand, fertile ground, pivot water, but we still can't string together enough hot days and mild nights to get it off its butt.
> Looks healthy and has good color but it's six weeks old and about six inches high.
> But it didn't break the ground for 8-10 days. We haven't had any summer here except for a couple days here and there. So far July had been cooler than May. Starting to wonder if I should bother spraying weeds.


I think not breaking ground for 8-10 days is normal for teff. But your chilly weather isn't helping anything after that. I really think it needs hotter then 80 consistantly to really grow well.


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## hillside hay

Teslan said:


> Yes. And it only has tedded 70 acres this year. I guess it didn't really fall apart. Just felt like it at the time. A tire went flat and ruined the wheel. The big back road transport wheels had a small little bolt break or come out and the rod holding it onto the tedder came out so then the carriage sagged and bent the rod plus the hydraulic cylinder push rod. Didn't even notice the whole transport carriage sagging until tried to put it down to pick up the flat tire. Hired man was operating it. It is a somewhat rough field so this wasn't entirely unexpected knowing the weakness of this tedder. So now the tedder will sit until fall or until I have time to do something about it. Maybe never.... Worst equipment buying decision I've made. Tedder aspect. Good decision. New Holland brand tedder, BAD decision. It has made me thinking badly about New Holland as a whole. That and New Holland throwing the local New Holland dealer under the bus recently so https://goo.gl/images/d66xdmafter 60 more days there will no longer be a New Holland dealer in Colorado.


Wow, no New Holland? That'd be tough to envision considering my area. Turning into AGCO country?


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## Hayman1

Teslan said:


> Yes. And it only has tedded 70 acres this year. I guess it didn't really fall apart. Just felt like it at the time. A tire went flat and ruined the wheel. The big back road transport wheels had a small little bolt break or come out and the rod holding it onto the tedder came out so then the carriage sagged and bent the rod plus the hydraulic cylinder push rod. Didn't even notice the whole transport carriage sagging until tried to put it down to pick up the flat tire. Hired man was operating it. It is a somewhat rough field so this wasn't entirely unexpected knowing the weakness of this tedder. So now the tedder will sit until fall or until I have time to do something about it. Maybe never.... Worst equipment buying decision I've made. Tedder aspect. Good decision. New Holland brand tedder, BAD decision. It has made me thinking badly about New Holland as a whole. That and New Holland throwing the local New Holland dealer under the bus recently so after 60 more days there will no longer be a New Holland dealer in Colorado.


Krone, period. Rakes and tedders. Period. Built like the proverbial brick sh*thouse.


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## Teslan

hillside hay said:


> Wow, no New Holland? That'd be tough to envision considering my area. Turning into AGCO country?


no John Deere is still king. Someone will probably pick it up but it's hard to imagine who because NH was requiring the current dealer to start carrying forty new tractors and stop selling Kubota and case. They really want a dealer that sells nh and that is all. I don't think the Deere dealer even has 40 new tractors in stock.


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## Hayman1

Teslan said:


> no John Deere is still king. Someone will probably pick it up but it's hard to imagine who because NH was requiring the current dealer to start carrying forty new tractors and stop selling Kubota and case. They really want a dealer that sells nh and that is all. I don't think the Deere dealer even has 40 new tractors in stock.


That's interesting. The new holland dealer here probably sells as many kubotas as NH. Also a bobcat dealer.


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## Teslan

Hayman1 said:


> That's interesting. The new holland dealer here probably sells as many kubotas as NH. Also a bobcat dealer.


yes that's the same here. I was told they sell more kubota tractors then everything new holland. And that was NHs issue with this dealer.


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## FarmerCline

Teslan said:


> Yes. And it only has tedded 70 acres this year. I guess it didn't really fall apart. Just felt like it at the time. A tire went flat and ruined the wheel. The big back road transport wheels had a small little bolt break or come out and the rod holding it onto the tedder came out so then the carriage sagged and bent the rod plus the hydraulic cylinder push rod. Didn't even notice the whole transport carriage sagging until tried to put it down to pick up the flat tire. Hired man was operating it. It is a somewhat rough field so this wasn't entirely unexpected knowing the weakness of this tedder. So now the tedder will sit until fall or until I have time to do something about it. Maybe never.... Worst equipment buying decision I've made. Tedder aspect. Good decision. New Holland brand tedder, BAD decision. It has made me thinking badly about New Holland as a whole. That and New Holland throwing the local New Holland dealer under the bus recently so after 60 more days there will no longer be a New Holland dealer in Colorado.


 Do you mean there will no longer be any NH dealer in Colorado or just that the chain of dealers in your area dropped NH. Kind of hard to image no dealer in the entire state.

I'm also kind of disappointed in the quality of a lot of the recent NH stuff I have seen and heard about. Around here NH tedders have a terrible reputation.....of course they aren't actually made by NH.


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## Teslan

FarmerCline said:


> Do you mean there will no longer be any NH dealer in Colorado or just that the chain of dealers in your area dropped NH. Kind of hard to image no dealer in the entire state.
> 
> I'm also kind of disappointed in the quality of a lot of the recent NH stuff I have seen and heard about. Around here NH tedders have a terrible reputation.....of course they aren't actually made by NH.


Yep the entire state. Unless NH reconsiders the closest NH dealer to me will be in Wheatland WY. I guess the current NH dealer will still be able to get parts. As I think they will remain a Case dealer. IF that's the case they can sell almost the entire hay line up that NH sells.

My NH tedder looks well built. Nice and heavy. Just badly designed. And one wouldn't know that until using it for awhile.


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## FarmerCline

Teslan said:


> Yep the entire state. Unless NH reconsiders the closest NH dealer to me will be in Wheatland WY. I guess the current NH dealer will still be able to get parts. As I think they will remain a Case dealer. IF that's the case they can sell almost the entire hay line up that NH sells.
> 
> My NH tedder looks well built. Nice and heavy. Just badly designed. And one wouldn't know that until using it for awhile.


 Wow, seems like a very stupid move for NH to pull their line out of the state just because the dealers wouldn't stock 40 new tractors. That seems like a good way to kill a bunch of sales.....likely turn many people away from buying NH.


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## Teslan

FarmerCline said:


> Wow, seems like a very stupid move for NH to pull their line out of the state just because the dealers wouldn't stock 40 new tractors. That seems like a good way to kill a bunch of sales.....likely turn many people away from buying NH.


there probably is something more. The service department has been going downhill for awhile at this dealer.


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## Josh in WNY

Well, I baled the teff yesterday. A little greener than I wanted, but with rain supposedly coming today, I didn't want to chance it. I got 172 bales off of about four and a half acres. I would have used the preservative applicator, but the pump decided it didn't want to run. I used the bale grab to stacked a few layers of the hay on pallets in the new addition that I put on my barn last fall and the rest I just dumped on our kicker rack and backed it in (it was already dark and I just wanted to get it in the barn).

We did have some thunder storms come through this morning, but they were more bark than bite. By the time I left for work (almost an hour and a half after the storms started) there still weren't any puddles on the concrete. If that is all the rain we get, I'm going to be kicking myself for not letting the hay set on the field for the next couple of days to finish drying.


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## hillside hay

Josh in WNY said:


> Well, I baled the teff yesterday. A little greener than I wanted, but with rain supposedly coming today, I didn't want to chance it. I got 172 bales off of about four and a half acres. I would have used the preservative applicator, but the pump decided it didn't want to run. I used the bale grab to stacked a few layers of the hay on pallets in the new addition that I put on my barn last fall and the rest I just dumped on our kicker rack and backed it in (it was already dark and I just wanted to get it in the barn).
> 
> We did have some thunder storms come through this morning, but they were more bark than bite. By the time I left for work (almost an hour and a half after the storms started) there still weren't any puddles on the concrete. If that is all the rain we get, I'm going to be kicking myself for not letting the hay set on the field for the next couple of days to finish drying.


I'm a couple hrs east of you Josh. I was kinda disappointed with the amount of rain. I was going to fertilize some second but didn't feel the radar instilled much confidence. So off to work sweating pipes.may go with foliar if that works any better.
Not real happy with my annual crop this year. I was talked into trying something new. Not happy.
You have a good exhaust fan going where it's stored or good airflow?


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## VA Haymaker

Teslan said:


> Yep the entire state. Unless NH reconsiders the closest NH dealer to me will be in Wheatland WY. I guess the current NH dealer will still be able to get parts. As I think they will remain a Case dealer. IF that's the case they can sell almost the entire hay line up that NH sells.
> 
> My NH tedder looks well built. Nice and heavy. Just badly designed. And one wouldn't know that until using it for awhile.


So is the Case dealer CaseIH and wouldn't they be the same product as NH with different stickers?

I really like New Holland equipment, balers, discbines, etc. - but have struggled to strike any kind of deal with the various NH dealers around me. There's a lot of discontentment that I read in various forums regarding John Deere and what I gather is their push - to push out the small dealer in favor of larger ones with multiple locations and with it - sort of kick the small farmer out with them as a focal point for business. However, over the last few years, when I've pulled the trigger on a newer piece of equipment, it was the JD dealer that got my business. They just were interested in turning a dollar from the get-go and their pricing was VERY good.

BTW - I'm interested in Krone (which I've posted in other topics) rakes, tedders and most recently pull behind mower conditioners. For what ever reason, 2 out of 3 JD dealers (none of which are owned by the same entity) carry Krone. I can see in the not to distant future doing more JD/Krone business at these same locations.

Hope your dealer is CaseIH and that is another route to go for parts and service for your New Holland equipment.

Bill


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## Teslan

leeave96 said:


> So is the Case dealer CaseIH and wouldn't they be the same product as NH with different stickers?
> 
> I really like New Holland equipment, balers, discbines, etc. - but have struggled to strike any kind of deal with the various NH dealers around me. There's a lot of discontentment that I read in various forums regarding John Deere and what I gather is their push - to push out the small dealer in favor of larger ones with multiple locations and with it - sort of kick the small farmer out with them as a focal point for business. However, over the last few years, when I've pulled the trigger on a newer piece of equipment, it was the JD dealer that got my business. They just were interested in turning a dollar from the get-go and their pricing was VERY good.
> 
> BTW - I'm interested in Krone (which I've posted in other topics) rakes, tedders and most recently pull behind mower conditioners. For what ever reason, 2 out of 3 JD dealers (none of which are owned by the same entity) carry Krone. I can see in the not to distant future doing more JD/Krone business at these same locations.
> 
> Hope your dealer is CaseIH and that is another route to go for parts and service for your New Holland equipment.
> 
> Bill


Yeah they are Case and it appears Case sells all the same hay equipment except hay stackers. And maybe the rakes and tedders (which are worthless anyways). So at least they can still sell "new holland" small square bales. And NH swathers. They don't compete in this area with Hesston on the big squares.


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## Josh in WNY

hillside hay said:


> I'm a couple hrs east of you Josh. I was kinda disappointed with the amount of rain. I was going to fertilize some second but didn't feel the radar instilled much confidence. So off to work sweating pipes.may go with foliar if that works any better.
> Not real happy with my annual crop this year. I was talked into trying something new. Not happy.
> You have a good exhaust fan going where it's stored or good airflow?


Yes, the hay that I moved with the bale grab got stacked in only a couple layers on pallets. The rest is setting on our kicker rack in a jumbled pile. The addition has pretty good ventilation through the soffits and the windows on the side of the original barn let wind blow through pretty nicely. The bales are heating a little, but I think they might be OK once they sweat out.


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## Teslan

Josh in WNY said:


> Yes, the hay that I moved with the bale grab got stacked in only a couple layers on pallets. The rest is setting on our kicker rack in a jumbled pile. The addition has pretty good ventilation through the soffits and the windows on the side of the original barn let wind blow through pretty nicely. The bales are heating a little, but I think they might be OK once they sweat out.


A couple of years ago my teff didn't quite dry out. It never heated, but some parts of the bale kinda turned yellow. People who bought it said their critters still plowed through it with no problems.


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## Teslan

Teff pic a week or two from cutting 2nd cutting.


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## slvr98svt

Well I went to check on my teff fields today. Been in the ground 38 days. We haven't had enough rain to make an inch probably those 5 weeks. What are your guys thoughts?

Def have some weeds showing through and prob 10% of each field has started to seed. My plan was to cut late next week as my tractor is still in the shop. So, it hinges on borrowing a tractor before I get mine back to get it cut.


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## Josh in WNY

slvr98svt said:


> Well I went to check on my teff fields today. Been in the ground 38 days. We haven't had enough rain to make an inch probably those 5 weeks. What are your guys thoughts?
> 
> Def have some weeds showing through and prob 10% of each field has started to seed. My plan was to cut late next week as my tractor is still in the shop. So, it hinges on borrowing a tractor before I get mine back to get it cut.


Based on what I went through trying to cut mine, I'd say try and borrow a tractor. I had a very hard time with my mower trying to pick up the lodged teff. The longer it sets there, the better chance you have of a quick and windy storm coming through and laying it all down flat.


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## Hayman1

Josh in WNY said:


> Based on what I went through trying to cut mine, I'd say try and borrow a tractor. I had a very hard time with my mower trying to pick up the lodged teff. The longer it sets there, the better chance you have of a quick and windy storm coming through and laying it all down flat.


Two years ago, we had shear winds come through and lay teff flat, cut it two ways, baled it and then touched it up with a third cutting pass. got two 4x5s in the third mowing pass in a 5 ac field. When it goes down, its a mess.


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## slvr98svt

How do you get this stuff dry? I cut Wednesday afternoon laid it as wide as I could, but could't get back to ted it until sat morning. At that time it was still 50% moisture. Let it lay Sunday and Monday, go to rake and hopefully bale late afternoon yesterday but it was still around 20% moisture. So I raked it as fluffy as I could to hopefully let some air through and see what it looks like this afternoon.

90* days all 5 days it has been down but dew in the morning is killing me. And you aren't kidding, we had a storm come through the Monday before I cut and it laid down a good 1/3 of each field. There's no getting it back up without making multiple trips and directions.


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## Hayman1

slvr98svt said:


> How do you get this stuff dry? I cut Wednesday afternoon laid it as wide as I could, but could't get back to ted it until sat morning. At that time it was still 50% moisture. Let it lay Sunday and Monday, go to rake and hopefully bale late afternoon yesterday but it was still around 20% moisture. So I raked it as fluffy as I could to hopefully let some air through and see what it looks like this afternoon.
> 
> 90* days all 5 days it has been down but dew in the morning is killing me. And you aren't kidding, we had a storm come through the Monday before I cut and it laid down a good 1/3 of each field. There's no getting it back up without making multiple trips and directions.


yep, yep, and yep. Unless you have escaped the humidity in NY, there is no way it will dry in the humidity we have had for the last week and we are having heavy dew and fog every morning. Good news is tomorrow is supposed to be much better. I cut my field 3 different directions two years ago after a storm with shear winds came through. Nuts.


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## Teslan

I cut my 2nd cutting Teff Sunday. Drying pretty good now. Higher humidity today, but a nice breeze. Yesterday it got down to about 17% humidity. Today probably down to 30%. I went and checked it with a ball of it in my hand tight with my prob and it's showing about 15% moisture. Though I suspect it's lying using this method. Tomorrow supposed to be hot again and dryer so I'm going to rake and try baling in the afternoon. Praying it works out because the forecast calls for rain Thursday night. I've kinda figured out 2nd cutting Teff here is ready to cut at about the 1st of August when we typically start getting monsoon moisture. While normal orchard/brome/alfalfa 2nd is ready before the monsoons and 3rd after.

On a separate note. I got a call from a big time hay broker from east Texas (at least this is how he bragged about himself. And man did the guy brag so much I told him to cut it out.) asking about Teff. He said he had talked to a Teff farmer near Wichita KS who has been growing Teff for 12 years. The broker said the guy told him he gets 3 tons a cutting and it dries to bale in 2 days. I say the guy was making things up. If one could grow that much per acre and have it bale in 2 days more people would grow it. I'm in a drier climate then Witchita area didn't get 3 tons an acre and 1st cutting couldn't bale in 2 days and I even tedded that.


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## Hayman1

Teslan said:


> I cut my 2nd cutting Teff Sunday. Drying pretty good now. Higher humidity today, but a nice breeze. Yesterday it got down to about 17% humidity. Today probably down to 30%. I went and checked it with a ball of it in my hand tight with my prob and it's showing about 15% moisture. Though I suspect it's lying using this method. Tomorrow supposed to be hot again and dryer so I'm going to rake and try baling in the afternoon. Praying it works out because the forecast calls for rain Thursday night. I've kinda figured out 2nd cutting Teff here is ready to cut at about the 1st of August when we typically start getting monsoon moisture. While normal orchard/brome/alfalfa 2nd is ready before the monsoons and 3rd after.
> 
> On a separate note. I got a call from a big time hay broker from east Texas (at least this is how he bragged about himself. And man did the guy brag so much I told him to cut it out.) asking about Teff. He said he had talked to a Teff farmer near Wichita KS who has been growing Teff for 12 years. The broker said the guy told him he gets 3 tons a cutting and it dries to bale in 2 days. I say the guy was making things up. If one could grow that much per acre and have it bale in 2 days more people would grow it. I'm in a drier climate then Witchita area didn't get 3 tons an acre and 1st cutting couldn't bale in 2 days and I even tedded that.


Ha! Not even close, maybe Trump has a job for him.


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## Hayman1

Teslan said:


> I cut my 2nd cutting Teff Sunday. Drying pretty good now. Higher humidity today, but a nice breeze. Yesterday it got down to about 17% humidity. Today probably down to 30%. I went and checked it with a ball of it in my hand tight with my prob and it's showing about 15% moisture. Though I suspect it's lying using this method. Tomorrow supposed to be hot again and dryer so I'm going to rake and try baling in the afternoon. Praying it works out because the forecast calls for rain Thursday night. I've kinda figured out 2nd cutting Teff here is ready to cut at about the 1st of August when we typically start getting monsoon moisture. While normal orchard/brome/alfalfa 2nd is ready before the monsoons and 3rd after.
> 
> On a separate note. I got a call from a big time hay broker from east Texas (at least this is how he bragged about himself. And man did the guy brag so much I told him to cut it out.) asking about Teff. He said he had talked to a Teff farmer near Wichita KS who has been growing Teff for 12 years. The broker said the guy told him he gets 3 tons a cutting and it dries to bale in 2 days. I say the guy was making things up. If one could grow that much per acre and have it bale in 2 days more people would grow it. I'm in a drier climate then Witchita area didn't get 3 tons an acre and 1st cutting couldn't bale in 2 days and I even tedded that.


Pretty pic. Wish mine had been on a field like that at 17 0/0 humidity


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## Teslan

Hayman1 said:


> Pretty pic. Wish mine had been on a field like that at 17 0/0 humidity


And....I got more then an inch of rain on the teff.


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## Hayman1

Teslan said:


> And....I got more then an inch of rain on the teff.


Too bad, thought you were generally able to avoid that out there


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## Teslan

Hayman1 said:


> Too bad, thought you were generally able to avoid that out there


hit and miss this year. 2 miles where I live we got nothing.


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## clowers

Beautiful hay you guys are making. Great Photos


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## RockyAcres

> On a separate note. I got a call from a big time hay broker from east Texas (at least this is how he bragged about himself. And man did the guy brag so much I told him to cut it out.) asking about Teff. He said he had talked to a Teff farmer near Wichita KS who has been growing Teff for 12 years. The broker said the guy told him he gets 3 tons a cutting and it dries to bale in 2 days. I say the guy was making things up. If one could grow that much per acre and have it bale in 2 days more people would grow it. I'm in a drier climate then Witchita area didn't get 3 tons an acre and 1st cutting couldn't bale in 2 days and I even tedded that.


3 ton I can see... I got 2.5 last year on two cuttings with my first go at it. I bet another .5 / acre might be possible with more experience. Baling in 2 days ?? That seems like a stretch. With good sun, low humidity (for Ohio anyway), and a nice breeze the shortest I've gotten is baling on the 4th day.


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## Teslan

RockyAcres said:


> 3 ton I can see... I got 2.5 last year on two cuttings with my first go at it. I bet another .5 / acre might be possible with more experience. Baling in 2 days ?? That seems like a stretch. With good sun, low humidity (for Ohio anyway), and a nice breeze the shortest I've gotten is baling on the 4th day.


3 tons per cutting.


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## BROWNT

here in the hill country of Texas under a pivot I didn't get 3 tons on 6 ac. maybe 1 total. 1st cutting and its burning up before the 2nd. First time trying Teff. Planted 8 ibs/ac. any ideas?


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## Teslan

To my amazement I was able to bale some of my rained on Teff today. Teff tends to sit up off the ground on the stems quite nicely. Moisture tests were good during baling. I hope it wasn't lying to me. Hopefully I can bale the rest tomorrow.


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## FarmerCline

Teslan said:


> To my amazement I was able to bale some of my rained on Teff today. Teff tends to sit up off the ground on the stems quite nicely. Moisture tests were good during baling. I hope it wasn't lying to me. Hopefully I can bale the rest tomorrow.


 That doesn't even look like rained on hay. Heck, much of the hay here wont have that nice of a color when it doesn't get rained on and it's baled dry. It must be nice to make hay in a non humid climate.


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## Teslan

FarmerCline said:


> That doesn't even look like rained on hay. Heck, much of the hay here wont have that nice of a color when it doesn't get rained on and it's baled dry. It must be nice to make hay in a non humid climate.


usually one rain here doesn't affect color. Especially in August and sept. Maybe Teff holds its color a bit longer also?


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## Hayman1

Teslan said:


> usually one rain here doesn't affect color. Especially in August and sept. Maybe Teff holds its color a bit longer also?


That was my experience here as well, ted it quickly after a rain, no color hit. Nice looking hay. I love teff, just wish it was not such a pain to make in the east.


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## slvr98svt

Wow, that is some nice looking hay Teslan. I finally rolled mine up yesterday afternoon. Got 61 bales off of 17.7 acres. I am going to run a few loads over the scales tomw and will see what kind of yield it is. It was pretty much dark when I finished so I will grab some pictures then.


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## Josh in WNY

Glad some of you are getting it dry and baled. The stuff I put up all got dusty/moldy so it got moved to the "over-flow storage", aka the swap behind one of the fields. I'm sure the deer will love to pick through it, though.

I could see putting it up in two days if you had real good drying conditions and were wrapping it for silage. For dry hay? Not gonna happen.

In hindsight, I think it will make a good "cover" crop for my operation to use when rotating from corn back into timothy to keep the weeds from taking over during the spring and summer. I'll still get some hay for the year and be able to fall seed the timothy, I just need to get a little more prepared for harvesting.


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## Teslan

Well my moisture tester lied to me yesterday. The bales moisture rose to 20-25%. I can smell it also. So I separated it from the rest and am now monitoring for heating. What I baled today was much drier. I'm still somewhat glad I baled yesterday as I barely got done stacking today before rain. And rain is predicted for the next 2 days. Teff regrowth is already 6-8 inches. I would never get it off had I waited more. total baled was 225 800 3x3 bales off of 73 acres. I will have to drop the price to try and sell it before 3rd and maybe a 4th cutting come so I will have room. Not selling all that well. I've decided I'm only going to use Teff has a rotatation crop with alfalfa. Not planting as a regular hay. It doesn't produce near as well as orchard/brome. Or sell as well.


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## gosh

I wish there was a button I could click to "like" this entire thread.


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## slvr98svt

Teslan do you mind sharing what you are getting per bale/ton? I have some people interested in some of my 4x5 rounds but still need to run a couple load over the scale to see what they average.


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## Teslan

slvr98svt said:


> Teslan do you mind sharing what you are getting per bale/ton? I have some people interested in some of my 4x5 rounds but still need to run a couple load over the scale to see what they average.


its not selling that well so I don't have a definite price. I'm now asking $65/bale for average 775lbs. Beginning to think 73 acres of Teff was a mistake. Shoulda just left it in a soil compacted orchard brome field. Or should have just planted orchard/brome or alfalfa again.


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## BeamFarms

Hayman1 said:


> I am guessing Memorial day is about right for you guys. Our published frost date is around may 20-25 and twice when I planted it on the 15th, I looked at the 10 day to make sure they were forcasting minimums of the 40s at night so did ok. You have a soil temp requirement and teff will not take a hint of frost. germinates in about 5-7 days if there is any moisture in the ground or you get a shower. covers quickly. Cut it when the teff is about 18-20 inches height, cut high, about 4" stubble height and get it off quickly (because the stubble is popping through. unless you have perfect weather with a breeze, you are looking at 4-5 days cure unless you can wetwrap.
> 
> I plant about 10-14#/ac, get cuttings every 30 days on the button. I used 50-50-50. It does not seem to respond to topdressing. I wasn't going to plant anymore but now I am going to notill teff in timothy stubble after first cutting to get ready for replanting timothy in fall, rick


How did your no till teff work out? I've wanted to raise some but we are all no till here and I was concerned about seed placement.


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## Hayman1

BeamFarms said:


> How did your no till teff work out? I've wanted to raise some but we are all no till here and I was concerned about seed placement.


I didn't plant teff this year.


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