# Tiffany Teff Grass



## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

So I was doing some work in the office this morning and came across a forage price list. In it I can get Tiffany Teff. I have read about Teff on here but will it grow up north where I live? Being a warm season grass would we even get a long enough summer.

http://binged.it/1brDaIc


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

When does the ground temp get above 60 degrees or so? Then do you have at least 45 days before the first frost? If so then you could get 1 cutting. After the first 45 days each cutting is 30 days. I planted mine on the 15th of May here in Colorado this last year. I shoulda waited 2 more weeks. But I got 4 cuttings out of it before frost. And when it says it will die after it gets to 32 degrees it ain't lying.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I looked at a few charts and looks like the soil temp will be that warm around june 10. Now with a frost can be any where from start of august to into october. So a light frost will kill it? A lot of time we dont get a killing frost till around the full moon in sept( if it is a clear night) So it might be a good one cut maybe a 2 cut? How will it grow if we get a cool summer?


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

32 will kill it dead.

Yea I think your summer weather for the yr will be determining factor on yield and cuttings.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

hog987 said:


> I looked at a few charts and looks like the soil temp will be that warm around june 10. Now with a frost can be any where from start of august to into october. So a light frost will kill it? A lot of time we dont get a killing frost till around the full moon in sept( if it is a clear night) So it might be a good one cut maybe a 2 cut? How will it grow if we get a cool summer?


It grows best when it is hot. And by hot I mean 90+ degrees. Anything under 32 is a killing frost for Teff. It will turn white that very day.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

It does not sound like this will work for me. Sometimes we have hot summers, other times we have cool summers. Was just looking at all options of what I can grow around here.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

My situation is similar to Hog987. Would annual rye grass be a better choice than teff? Perhaps a cocktail of varieties? Mel


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Hog do you grow crested wheat grass. I love that stuff. We made tons out there. I wish I would know for sure if it would grow here. I want to try teff to. We should be able to get it to grow. You should to I would imagine. Unless you get snow on stampede weekend like we did one year I was there lol.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I dont grow crested wheat grass but it does grow around here. Iam thinking about about growing some AC saltlander on about 30 acres of land I have because its high ph and salt problems. It is a cross between wheat grass and quack grass. Like I said just looking at options. Ijust about have all the alfalfa mixed hay I can do myself. So looking at other options on the new land. Something that can be done at a different time as the other hay. Greenfeed is what I am mostly thinking. Can either be put up between first and second cut or planted later and put up after second cut.

I just dont think teff will work here. Short growing season. can have cool summers. Seed cost are pretty high.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

How do you put up your hay (rounds squares or silage)?


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Right now all round bales. 1000-1100 ton a year. Going to rebale some of the rounds into squares this winter and next. More money in small squares but takes time and storage. I dont have a huge place to store squares but I could make around 500 at a time and sell them and make another 500 or so. With the new land I have and some more land on dad's can be turned into hay we I could be putting up over 1500 ton of hay/forage a year with just myself.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Why not use a nh stack wagon and tarp them outside? We did that out there. The bottom row sometimes wasnt much good but the steers didnt complain when it went in the tmr  the guy I worked for made 10000 and it took about a week. Just something to think about.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I have tried that like you said. Still takes time. I can round bale faster. When I go and rebale the outside of the bale can be unrolled for cattle and rest turned inti squares. Remember I am a one man show. On a year like last summer I Could hardly get all the round baling done with out worring about squares. Start hiring people to help than it eats into profits. Than just as well off to just do rounds.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Until your second last sentence I was going to say give me $20 per hour and im there.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Will if Iam going to be paying anyone a wage it might as well be myself. Unless the wife will work for free.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

If you have a guy to help with hay and can double your production your still way ahead. We try to gather up 4 or 5 Mennonite kids for a few weeks to stack hay. The amount of hay I can do with them compared to alone far offsets their labor cost.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

ontario hay man said:


> If you have a guy to help with hay and can double your production your still way ahead. We try to gather up 4 or 5 Mennonite kids for a few weeks to stack hay. The amount of hay I can do with them compared to alone far offsets their labor cost.


Ontario- seems like if it just offsets the additional cost, it isn't worth it. More marketing etc. Only worth it if it really makes you more profit after ware and tear on equipment, op expenses and labor costs. I am trying to identify anything I do that really does not get me anywhere and eliminate it. Easier said than done. Starting doing round bales to finish baling when I was tired of squares. This coming year I have requests for 4 times the rounds I made 3 years ago when I started. Guess I need to charge more.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Waterway64 said:


> My situation is similar to Hog987. Would annual rye grass be a better choice than teff? Perhaps a cocktail of varieties? Mel


Kinda depends on what kind of feed you are looking for.

If for stock cows perhaps a millet.Or annual rye grass.I'd say if you were after a higher quality horse hay then maybe the Teff would be a better choice.


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