# Sprigging Tomorrow



## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

The sprigger is going to start in the morning with my fields. About 38 acres. Tifton 44. I hope he can finish before the rain comes in Saturday.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

Wish you good luck Troy Farmer


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

I am always intrigued by this subject because I know nothing about it and I wonder do you have to do anything to prepare the fields for this sprigger. Pictures would be nice if that's something you don't mind doing and you have the opportunity


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## woodland (May 23, 2016)

Endrow ditto here. Never heard of it till coming on here. The only "sprigging" that occurs up here is when you drag the cultivator through a patch of quackgrass. Highly effective at spreading that nasty stuff around ????

Adrian


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Good luck Troy.....I hope it goes like clockwork for you. The rain is not supposed to get here Saturday until afternoon.....I hope.

Regards, Mike


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Oops! The rain has been moved up here to Saturday morning.....it looked like it would hit the upstate after lunch Troy.

Regards, Mike


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

I will try and get a few pictures posted. As for preparing the fields, these were existing pasture/ hay fields. I prepared them by complete burn down of existing grasses with gly last fall. Then tilled with a chisel plow and offset harrow. I figure the same tillage as if I were going to plant corn or beans. I also limed last fall because of our acidic soil. Some of these fields had not seen a plow in at least 50 years.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Troy Farmer said:


> I will try and get a few pictures posted. As for preparing the fields, these were existing pasture/ hay fields. I prepared them by complete burn down of existing grasses with gly last fall. Then tilled with a chisel plow and offset harrow. I figure the same tillage as if I were going to plant corn or beans. I also limed last fall because of our acidic soil. Some of these fields had not seen a plow in at least 50 years.


May the Lord bless you with copious rainfall after your sprigging....good luck with establishment this year, have to do 15 ac myself.


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## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

Can I ask what the cost is per ac... I'm also in the upstate and a friend is considering bermuda or lespedeza .....


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

I know in SC there is some grant money for hay sprigging. Not sure which office handles this and my understanding is in my area they were to decide today who was receiving the grant. Now please realize it may not be a grant but to me it is a grant. I was told there is no specific how many acres they will pay for and I think they were paying about $360 per acre.

Sadly can not tell you what office it is that handles this but in our Ag Building in Horry County it is in same building as Clemson Agents. I did have to fill out a simple application. There were no handcuff's to the money as I could find out but you are suppose to raise hay for think it way 5 years.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Day 1 went excellent. To be continued tomorrow. Thanks for all the well wishes. I am doing this with the help of an EQUIP Grant through USDA. 75% Payment from USDA. The total cost for sprigging and sprigs is $300 per acre. Here are some pics:


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## woodland (May 23, 2016)

Never heard of sprigging before I joined here. Do these crops not set seed or is there a different reason for doing this?

Some questions from a northerner with 18 inches of snow on the ground. It got above freezing for the fourth day this year and I ready for spring whenever it migrates our way☃

Hope all goes well with the weather for your crop.


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## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

This type of bermuda doesn't seed....


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

woodland said:


> Never heard of sprigging before I joined here. Do these crops not set seed or is there a different reason for doing this?
> Some questions from a northerner with 18 inches of snow on the ground. It got above freezing for the fourth day this year and I ready for spring whenever it migrates our way☃
> Hope all goes well with the weather for your crop.


Of course this is Bermuda grass we are speaking of, but certain types of Bermuda grass are prolific seed producers....however, the type that is used for hay, turf are "improved" hybrid grasses and as a result don't produce many if any viable seeds. Therefore the establishment of a stand of hybrid Bermuda grass is grown from a vegetative state. The "sprigs" are roots that are snatched from the ground with a machine much like a potato digger only a bit smaller blades, those sprigs are loaded onto a trailer, usually covered well and moistened before planting with a sprigging machine. That's the red machine in the above pics....it basically distributes the sprigs into a 6'-8' windrow kinda randomly, somewhat consistently onto the ground I front of several coulters that press the sprigs into the prepared seedbed. Following the machine is a roller that presses down on the ground to ensure good soil to sprig contact. Lots of times the field will have an additional roller come behind and roll the field again, then it's time to do a rain dance.....or turn on the pivot (not many on hay fields) hth


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## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

Troy Farmer said:


> Day 1 went excellent. To be continued tomorrow. Thanks for all the well wishes. I am doing this with the help of an EQUIP Grant through USDA. 75% Payment from USDA. The total cost for sprigging and sprigs is $300 per acre. Here are some pics:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looking good, you may have hit it just right as we are going to get rain later today they say.. hope a gulley washer doesn't roll through..


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## dubltrubl (Jul 19, 2010)

Best of luck on the sprigging! It's a nail biter sometimes.


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## woodland (May 23, 2016)

How long of life do you expect out of a field after sprigging being that it’s quite expensive? Up here we plant a good alfalfa with a grass like brome, timothy, or orchardgrass which runs about $60/ac for seed and expect 5-8 years out of it. This for pasture or hay and after that production seems to drop so it’s rotated with grain for a couple of years.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I have a hybrid bermuda field that was planted in 1974 and still going strong.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Well yesterday went too good I guess, drag chain broke in planter. Sprigger had to go get his back up. It's a three row. Slower but as of this posting he's still planting. As far as the longevity of the planting, I hope with proper care these fields will out live me.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Thanks to everyone's prayers and the good Lord, we got all but one small field planted. Sprigger worked until midnight last night and returned this morning and worked all day. Light rain this morning made things sticky and slick but he plodded on through and finished about 7 pm this evening.

When he started Friday it was sunny and 70's when he finished today it was raining and 49 with wind. But the heavy rain held off until he was finishing.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

I'm glad you finished before the rain started. You lucky dog you need to purchase a Lotto ticket!


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## woodland (May 23, 2016)

Tx Jim said:


> I'm glad you finished before the rain started. You lucky dog you need to purchase a Lotto ticket!


Usually my luck is no rain or three inches all at once. Good job????


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Troy, it looks like your sprigger did a very good job. I think you all hit it just right. Good luck.

Regards, Mike


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Thanks guys. Man we are getting the rain today. If we hadn't planted this past weekend I don't know when we could have.

The sprigger is a great guy this is the second job he's done for me. Said he's been planting bermuda since he was about 8, he's in his sixties now. He never gets in a hurry or gets upset, just a good steady determined work pace. I learned a lot more this weekend than how to plant bermuda. I'm pretty patient until things go wrong and my patience goes out the window.


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## dubltrubl (Jul 19, 2010)

Very glad for you Troy Farmer. On our first field we sprigged it took 3 attempts to get it in the ground due to weather. I got tired of prepping the field! When we finally got it sprigged it was very late in the year and then we didn't get any rain for a month. But as the sayin' goes, "God looks after fools and little children." I ain't no child anymore,,,; . Lo and behold the following spring we had a nice stand. I pray your efforts prove even better.

Regards,

Steve


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

We ended up with 0.8" rain. Next hurdle is getting the pre emergent down. Waiting for a calm day. I'll be using Direx 4L @ 2qts per acre.


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## Ranger518 (Aug 6, 2016)

Troy Farmer said:


> We ended up with 0.8" rain. Next hurdle is getting the pre emergent down. Waiting for a calm day. I'll be using Direx 4L @ 2qts per acre.


That's what I used last year after I had my land sprigged it worked pretty good overall I hade some crabgrass other than that it was pretty clean.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Here's an update on the Bermuda sprigging... it's coming up!


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Troy, post a couple of pics throughout the summer so that we can compare with your current pics.

Regards, Mike


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Will do.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Here are some pictures I took today. 200 lb/acre 19-19-19 and plenty of rain. Things are looking good. I need to do some spraying though.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

It is looking good Troy. It will be a solid mass before long. You have had very good growing conditions along with a very good planting.

Regards, Mike


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Just wanted to add some updated photos. This field is exceptional.

















This field has more red clay and weeds. I have vasey and dallis grass. I guess I'll work on that next year. A photo of Johnson grass after Outrider treatment.

















Sorry about the upside down pics. I couldn't figure out how to fix them.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

Whats is that? Tifton or Alicia


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## broadriverhay (Jun 13, 2014)

I had a 13 acre field sprigged with 88 bushels/acre of coastal in 2010. the same year I cut 1000 bales from that field. so with proper care it can establish very quickly. Yours is looking great too.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

clowers said:


> Whats is that? Tifton or Alicia


Tifton 44


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

broadriverhay said:


> I had a 13 acre field sprigged with 88 bushels/acre of coastal in 2010. the same year I cut 1000 bales from that field. so with proper care it can establish very quickly. Yours is looking great too.


Thanks broadriver. I figured I would bush hog one more time then take a cutting.


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