# Where to buy oats? Buying seed, etc...



## rcb (Nov 2, 2013)

Well, I'm planning on planting oats in the spring. We've usually always ordered seed from the local feed mill (but we mainly did beef, so all the corn we grew was for feed). Seeing as I'm also intending on planting alfalfa and timothy at the same time, is it better to go with a dedicated seed producer? I've not even called the mill to see if they even carry oats. I don't know anyone around that grows it. Is there any advantage? Of course, usually the local shops know what works well in an area, but doing a little investigating never hurts.

I've been considering a higher seed rate, but I might need financing to go much higher, along with fertilizer and limestone and I'm guessing that a seed producer isn't going to be interested in financing less than 10k or so. Many seem to think that going to a seed producer might solve that problem, but we've mainly got corns and soybean and most seem lost when I ask about oats. Some of the hay folk are somewhat tight lipped to boot, but I suppose I can appreciate that.

Anyhow, any advice is appreciated.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

The oats I plant for hay are a certified variety of seed oats. They are not a dedicated forage variety but there not a real short stature variety either. I have heard that for hay just regular bin run oats will work just as well though. One reason I like using certified seed than farmer saved seed is that I know I'm not planting a bunch of weeds not already on my land. I would not plant more than a bushel per acre if using it as a nurse crop for your alfalfa and timothy.


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## rcb (Nov 2, 2013)

These fields have been out of use for several years. I'm wanting to plant heavy to try and smother other things out.

I'm interested in how these oats turn out as far as hay goes. While I've read nitrates can be a concern, we've got some people in the area that have certain hay needs that it seems like oats could meet pretty well.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

rcb said:


> These fields have been out of use for several years. I'm wanting to plant heavy to try and smother other things out.
> 
> I'm interested in how these oats turn out as far as hay goes. While I've read nitrates can be a concern, we've got some people in the area that have certain hay needs that it seems like oats could meet pretty well.


 What will happen if you plant the oats at a full seeding rate of 3 bushels an acre it will also smother out your alfalfa and timothy. What are the fields like now....plowed, sprayed to kill weeds and laying fallow, or growed up with junk? Depending on the condition of the fields you may want to plant just the oats this spring at a full seeding rate and the after you take the hay off keep the fields sprayed to get rid of unwanted weeds and then in the fall plant your alfalfa and timothy. I'm not real sure about proper seeding dates in your area but something along the lines of this should work.

As far as the oat hay, I like it a lot if it is done right. The oats need to be cut before the milk stage or they will be much like straw and the grain in the bales will draw rats from miles around. For a good compromise of quantity and quality cut the oats as soon as the heads emerge and are pollinating. All of this happens fast now so if the weather is right and the oats are close to being ready you had better cut....it seems like you have about 10 to 14 days when they are ideal to be cut and after that you need to think about combining them for the grain. Oat hay done like this will be a pretty green color that horse owners like and the horses like the hay as well.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

If you are set on planting oats you could seed it heavy,alone.Spray broadleaf weeds in oats crop.Harvest the oats and then fall seed your alfalfa.

Another option could be annual ryegrass for hay instead of the oats.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

Buy our seed oats from a local farmer who grows quite a bit and cleans them for seed. Sells to other farmers and the Growmark/fs dealer.

Seed at a rate of 100lbs an acre with our new seedings and mow and chop them at milk to dough stage and store them in the silo for winter. The cows milk great on them. Underseed clover grass mix. The combination of oats and clover keeps weeds at bay while the clover gets the grass really growing


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## rcb (Nov 2, 2013)

Thanks. These fields have a little junk. Been unused for almost 7 years now. One of them has had some blackberry's pop up and some other unwanteds.

Thanks for the insight. I'll have to ask around to see if any farmers do deal with oats. The ag extension doesn't know of anyone still growing oats in our area, other than a cover crop.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

What kind of tillage are you gonna use?


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## rcb (Nov 2, 2013)

Actually, I was considering using a no till. What are your thoughts?

regarding the blackberrys and briars. there are two definitive area with them. I was going to physically remove them, roots and all.

Originally I was going to plow and disc in an attempt to breakup the soil and junk, but have since read and been told that that might be counter productive, introducing more unwanted seeds back into the ground.

Some people mentioned no till as a way to get around that.

Even if I do no-till, should I harrow the fields? My biggest concern with no till, is that we have clay loam mostly around here and I'm not even sure how well no-till would work.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

If you are going to notill oats into a bunch of weeds you will end up with a bunch of weeds.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

You are going to have to get rid of the weeds and briars before you plant if you want to have a harvestable crop of hay. When you say that you are going to physically remove the briars surely you don't mean by hand do you? The roots of the briars are going to go deeper than you can pull or dig and will just regrow from where they broke off.

Without seeing it I would say you need to spray a burndown herbicide to kill the existing weeds and then work the ground up before you plant. It will more than likely take more than one time of spraying and working the ground to get rid of some of the perennial weeds like the briars and you definatly want to be rid of them before you sow your permanent hay crop of alfalfa and timothy.


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## rcb (Nov 2, 2013)

What we do is wrap a chain around the base of the briars (they all stem from the same place) and just yank them out with a tractor. It's always worked well in the past.

Mainly we have timothy grow there now, aside from the afore mentioned briars and such.

As we have gentle slopes, the no till was attractive to avoid runoff.

So you think spray and turn the soil then spray again?


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

Well if your soil is like ours notilling doesn't work too well gets too hard. Good moldboard plow works wonders. We have some ground that is too wet for corn and started out as goldenrods and weeds we put in two years of sorghum sudangrass then seeded with a grass clover mix and oats. Never sprayed now its beautiful hay ground. Very few weeds. Clipping after oats are taken off (we chop and make silage with them) will do a good job of taking care of weeds. Clip at six inches as not to harm the young grass.

We also have some slopes and rolling fields with little run off/erosion


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

rcb said:


> What we do is wrap a chain around the base of the briars (they all stem from the same place) and just yank them out with a tractor. It's always worked well in the past.
> 
> Mainly we have timothy grow there now, aside from the afore mentioned briars and such.
> 
> ...


 Yes I would say to spray, work the soil, then plant your oats and after they are harvested you will have weeds that will start to grow again, then spray to kill the weeds. Depending on how much of the weeds come back you could then work the ground and plant your perennial hay crop in the fall.

As far as no till yes it is good once you get your ground the way it needs to be but to get it there you will need to do some tillage to help take care of some of the junk that is present. If your slopes are just gentle and no particular wash out areas you should not have any thing to worry about.


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## Maryland Ridge Farms (Mar 1, 2009)

plow it then plant bin run oats at 2 bu acre with your grass im just north of you in Monroe county See Rodney at Standish he can help you


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