# Teff Grass



## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

I would like to try a few acres this year. Could you get by with broadcasting and harrowing?


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

you can normally get away with lots of things in life, question is, do you get the results you want.

Teff likes cultivated fields, full tillage is recommended, helps quick germination because the dark exposed soil gets warmer earlier in the year for longer during the day in spring. Do a search on teff and there is a good site from California on it. Plow your two acres now, disc once or so early, then disc down good and level a week out from plant, try to get a rain on it about 2 days before plant to help settle. I roll mine before and after plant and that gets the most uniform stand. I am using a Brillion till and seed but a regular Brillion seeder would be fine. I have been using 12#to the acre seeding rate. germinates in about 5 days if there is any decent moisture in the ground. Makes beautiful hay.


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## BPatrick (Aug 30, 2013)

I did broadcast my teff last year, but I also put it on a little heavy...about 20 lbs to the acre....made a great stand of grass.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Hayman1 said:


> t, try to get a rain on it about 2 days before plant to help settle.


This makes me laugh. I rarely get rain when I want it. This last spring was an exception.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

TJH said:


> I would like to try a few acres this year. Could you get by with broadcasting and harrowing?


I'd lay 10 to 1 odds against it.Number one failure with Teff is poor seed bed.Pack it then pack it some more.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Well yes Teslan but you have rain on demand out there and we don't. He was from Ok, guess I should have tempered my remarks. Getting rain here in May when you are tilling for late may teff plant is not a big deal. All you have to do is cut some hay, you get rain.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Cy- could not agree more. Was in a hurry last year and did not pack before plant. what a cluster. Packing afterwards is also needed but 2x after is not the same as one prior and one after. From cold hard experience.


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

Thanks Guys' I don't have any ground prep eq. so I guess I had better stay away from this.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

This was my first year with teff and I agree with a hard seed bed. Teff was coming up on day four. I planted about the ground temperature I would have planted sorghum. I was very impressed at how aggressive it was against weeds. It kept a clean field. Maturity really affects quality! Cut it early and rake as soon as the top of the window is dry. In not so great of weather we baled at four days. One mistake I made that was a surprise, I let one field go about five days to miss bad weather and a frost. Got the hay up great but protein was only eight percent! I blame letting it freeze before harvesting for most of the drop. Marketing has been slow to as most buyers are not familiar with it. Yield wise for days actually growing it was yielding close to other hay crops. 
This coming season I am considering haylaging a old stand, then doing light tillage and fertilizer. If it works I will hopefully produce a total tonnage equal to my better established hay. Mel


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Mel- one of the things I was wondering about here was green chopping or doing haylage on first cutting which is a pain to get dry since it is still June and we usually don't have the good heat. I don't have the equipment to chop nor the outlet for either chop or haylage since all mine is horse hay for sale but if you do, it looked like a good way to get the protein up for feeder calves etc. I got cp of about 18 on some really just dry enough if I stored them alone bales so I can only imagine what the green chop value would be.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

TJH said:


> Thanks Guys' I don't have any ground prep eq. so I guess I had better stay away from this.


a old style 14' billion roller cn be had for around $200 here,no transports.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

We have a herd of stock cows who get to eat hay that is less than desirable or in this case a feed harvested to help the haying operation. I used to dairy and still have a ag bagger and self propelled chopper. 
As long as teff is real shallow it is amazingly vigorous coming up. If you don't have a roller packer perhaps a neighbor would.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Hey I'm looking for one of those to pull behind my IH 470 disk and to roll in seed...

Got any leads I'd appreciate it!

OL JR


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