# Planting Grass/Alfalfa into tilled cornstalks



## HayRazer (Sep 23, 2010)

Hello everyone,

First off, I'm posting from Ontario, Canada (approx 220 miles straight north of Cleveland, Ohio). I'm kicking around some ideas for my farm, and I am seriously considering significantly expanding my cattle herd. This would mean converting some land from corn to pasture/hay. I have been successfully using an intensive grazing strategy, and part of that involves growing a pasture mix high in alfalfa, and planning on cutting excess pasture for hay, depending on growth and conditions.

The land I would seed down to hay was in corn last year, and was harvested late. We did not have a chance to work down the stalks, and there are some ruts due to excessively wet field conditions at harvest. So, no-till is not an option, even if it might otherwise be. My question is... How best to get this ground off to a good start in hay? I don't need it for pasture in 2015, but will for 2016. It would be nice to get some cash flow off the land in 2015... will it work to plant oats/wheat/some other cereal as cover and harvest it late summer? What about all the trash, stalks, etc.? Will they hinder a good stand? If they do, what's the best way to eliminate the problem? What else do I need to think about? I'm looking for ideas... I've got some, but would like to draw on the extensive experience of this board.

Thanks for the help and advice.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I'd shred the stalks,disc it to level the ruts.

you could seed a cereal crop for grain and straw but will you have enough time for seeding before safe frost date of the alfalfa?Not sure what frost date is there?

or you could seed a annual forage type crop if you need the feed to get started on seeding alf earlier.

Or you could underseed your cereal crop with the alf but can have issues with lodgeing,smothering it and issues if useing Chem on the cereal crop.

I'd use extra N seeding cereal or a annual forage crop into cornstalks


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

Most of the time we establish into corn stalks. We plant as soon in the spring as we can, usually in mid April. Disc the stalks twice or three times, drill 3 bushels of oats, 15lbs alfalfa, 2 lbs brome, 6lbs fescue. Then drag once or twice with a spring tooth drag harrow. It has worked well here in northern Iowa for more than the last 100 years for me and my family.


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## HayRazer (Sep 23, 2010)

barnrope said:


> Most of the time we establish into corn stalks. We plant as soon in the spring as we can, usually in mid April. Disc the stalks twice or three times, drill 3 bushels of oats, 15lbs alfalfa, 2 lbs brome, 6lbs fescue. Then drag once or twice with a spring tooth drag harrow. It has worked well here in northern Iowa for more than the last 100 years for me and my family.


If you establish into cornstalks, are you disking the stalks in fall already? And then again in spring? It looks like a lot of material to get out of the way of the seedlings. I'm also used to planting grass by broadcasting on the surface, then harrowing it in with a chain harrow and finally packing/rolling it. I'm worried that all the trash will prevent good soil/seed contact.


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## eastsidehayguy (Aug 12, 2013)

I planted in to corn stalks two years ago I vertical tilled it twice used a brillion seeder over twice because I was planting my ten pound alflfa then my grass seperate. I did mix in some oats as well. I did not have much trash, corn stalk to deal with by the time the first cutting was ready and what I did have I really did care much about because I was fed it for cattle feed anyway..Sounds like you have cattle dont worry about it just feed it to the cows.. I had/have excellent stands in those fields, and havent had any problems.. Make sure last years herbicides are not going to kill off any seedings with residual carry over as well...


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

We always seed alfalfa into corn ground, but either it was chopped for silage the fall before or all the stalks were baled off. Baling stalks in the spring is an option if the weather dries up enough, but the quality of the product in the bales is poor. Oats would make a decent cover nurse crop for 2015 feed, but don't put it on too thick and do plan on making silage of it.


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## OhioHay (Jun 4, 2008)

Gearclash said:


> We always seed alfalfa into corn ground, but either it was chopped for silage the fall before or all the stalks were baled off. Baling stalks in the spring is an option if the weather dries up enough, but the quality of the product in the bales is poor. Oats would make a decent cover nurse crop for 2015 feed, but don't put it on too thick and do plan on making silage of it.


What makes the quality poor? Is it the amount of dirt on the stalks from being on the ground all winter?


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

OhioHay said:


> What makes the quality poor? Is it the amount of dirt on the stalks from being on the ground all winter?


That and I'd say the amount of sheer weathering and "rot" from being out there on the ground or standing all winter...

Later! OL JR


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

More dirt in the stalks maybe, but the bigger thing is all the mold and deterioration from a winter of being wet. Kind of interesting to look at stalks closely with the thought of baling them in the spring vs. in the fall. The deterioration isn't apparent just driving by a field looking out the window.

One thing I would mention is that even without a nurse crop you can expect a good cutting or two of alfalfa. I don't know how having grass mixed in will affect that.


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## HayRazer (Sep 23, 2010)

Thanks for all the input... I'm not concerned about getting some stalks in with anything baled. The cows know how to sort that out. I was more concerned about how well the alfalfa/grass would establish with that much trash, especially since it didn't get worked down in fall. But it sounds like you all have had good luck with it.


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

HayRazer said:


> If you establish into cornstalks, are you disking the stalks in fall already? And then again in spring? It looks like a lot of material to get out of the way of the seedlings. I'm also used to planting grass by broadcasting on the surface, then harrowing it in with a chain harrow and finally packing/rolling it. I'm worried that all the trash will prevent good soil/seed contact.


We go in as soon as we can in the spring and disc the stalks. We disc one direction, let it dry for a bit and then disc the opposite direction. Yes, there is a large amount of trash. It can be difficult to see your drill wheel tracks sometimes. When I have a lot to seed I put a tractor with autosteer on the drill. After you drag it the drag is full of stalks, but we always get a good seeding and oats. I find it to be equivalent to any other method. When seeding into plowed corn ground or field cultivated bean ground I have found I need to roll it before seeding to keep tracks to a minimum and to keep the seed from going too deep.


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

Rotate into beans this year? A forage variety would give you a lot of feed (more tha spring seeded alfalfa with no cover), then seed the alfalfa in the fall. I'd rather seed into bean stubble the corn stubble any day.


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## HayRazer (Sep 23, 2010)

aawhite said:


> Rotate into beans this year? A forage variety would give you a lot of feed (more tha spring seeded alfalfa with no cover), then seed the alfalfa in the fall. I'd rather seed into bean stubble the corn stubble any day.


The problem with that is that I want this land for grazing by summer 2016. I've got lots of hay land available... it's pasture I'm needing.


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

You should have no problem seeding down the field this fall, ready for pasture in spring. Especially if you are growing forage type beans. You'll be cutting in Aug. or Sept.


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