Small grains in crop rotation

I currently have 50 acres of row crop ground, currently all in soybeans. I also have 60 acres of hay, about 30 acres of that could be row cropped if I wanted to. I am looking for another crop that would go good with hay and soybeans in rotation, I don't really care to grow corn, too expensive, too picky, too much grain to handle, etc. Small grains are an option that I am considering, haven't narrowed down a specific type yet maybe oats? Neighbor says Barley is a great choice? Driving around the countryside here in Central MN, I see lots of small grain fields that look great, but I do see some fields that are laid pretty flat and I about cry for the guy that has to try to pick that stuff up. It scares me so much that I think maybe I shouldn't do small grains. Also, I don't have a combine or a swather and I hate to rely on the next guy to harvest my crop. It seems silly to own a combine for 50 acres. Even if I reduce my hay acres, I would only have 80 acres to combine, still hard to justify.

I'd like to keep my hayfields for 5 years, then rotate. Meanwhile fields not in hay will be soybeans for maybe a couple years, but what could I plant for the next 2-3 years until I am ready to plow up my hayfields and rotate crops? I don't mind buying some more equipment to fit a new crop, but it needs to be justifiable for my small acreage. Any thoughts? Are small grains really that scary?
 
Small grains scary? No! That's how I grew up and how I farm now. I run wheat, soybeans, and milo in rotation covering 750 acres. The rest is hay.

I've never understood the corn "push". Some guys are so fixated on their BPA. It's like some kind of Napolean complex for them or something. Sure, I do all I can to bump yields, but the profit margin with corn is so small. Especially now.

Growing up we did barley, but we used it in grinding feed. I haven't done oats in many years, but it is kind of tough to get in at the right time here and it seems to go down easy in our weather. I wouldn't hesitate to put milo in your rotation but I would check on demand first. Milo is pretty close in protein to corn, so if the milo market is low I keep it to grind for hog feed, if it is good I sell it and buy corn out of the field from a friend. I assume you would be selling all of your grain, so see what your local elevator has to say.

For an 80 I would get a combine - a JD 45 or 55. The satisfaction in reaping the crop you sow is second to none. They are simple, dependable, and give just as clean of a sample as any new combine.
 
if you don't want corn in your rotation and you currently own equipment for your 60 acres of hay, why not try sorghum sudan. it grows like corn but is way less picky, handles heat stress better and if it gets the rain you should see 2 or 3 cuttings. Find a dairy close and I bet you'd clean up all your hay in one shot. Or try something like what I'm thinking of for this fall. Plant winter rye on or around September 20th. Let that come up in April of next year and seed in sorghum sudan right into the rye ground. The rye will hold the nitrogen from 2015 and will release it after first cutting at the end of June. This release of nitrogen should give your 2nd or 3rd cutting the boost it needs to really take off. Also the ground cover with the sorghum/sudan and rye should crowd out any weed even thinking of growing. Another advantage of rye in with a sorghum sudan is it's easy to kill off with your standard soybean sprays. If you left any growth after the 3rd cutting it would also add some organic matter to your soil for the next spring. Also rye is very cheap seed.
 
My part of Minnesota, corn pays the bills, soybeans are a rotation but don't yield well on the high clay, wet, high ph soils here. Small grains are a few acres just for fun, not much profit.

Up north a ways, is your hay grass?

If you grow alfalfa, then you can't afford not to grow corn, alfalfa and corn were made for each other.....

Paul
 
I chose Rye grass. Hearty, cheap seed, few enemies, makes a good thick crop, weather permitting you can pull it off in the spring and plant your money crop. I overseed Coastal Bermuda which is a warm season perennial. When the rain lets me, I get the Rye off as it's maturing, being a cold weather crop, just as the Bermuda starts it's summer growth. Makes a super combination. Also the rye helps to choke out weeds that otherwise would have to be dealt with. Rye, being annual, gets planted in the fall when the Bermuda is dormant. You can broadcast it or drill. I drill.
 
Growing up we raised oats, underseeded with alfalfa/timothy/other grasses...that was on sandy soil in western Stearns County. Here in Meeker County, on heavy soil, I went to barley/alfalfa. Little thinner grain stand, so more sunlight hits the ground to help the alfalfa. Also, if lodged, the barley doesn"t smother the alfalfa so easily. Lodged grain is not hard to cut with a finger reel on the swather. Just like lodged beans, I figure the yield is good the plant couldn"t support it.

Older combine is not hard to justify if you can use it on small grain and soybeans. Gleaner F can be had for $1000-1500 with grain head, (local craigslist has one now for a grand) and a floating cutter bar can be added to it for cheap. Won"t save as many beans as a flex head, but they run $2500 and up, well-used. JD 800 swather, or similar, can be bought for a grand or under, or maybe you can hire that done. What county are you in?
 
I am on the far west edge of Mille Lacs county, just North of Hwy 23. Since posting this, I have bought a 4400 JD combine with a 16' flex head for my beans this year. It also came with a pickup head that I hope to use next year on some small grains. I gave $5500 for it, maybe a bit high but it really is a nice machine, 2770 hours on it. Very well cared for machine. I bought it from the 2nd owner who was quite proud of it, always shedded. I'm happy with the combine.

I'm still a bit unsure about which small grain to plant. I think oats has the best market here, I should really double check on that. Oats seems quite simple too. I have seen alot of down grain this year, 90% of it is oats, that has me a bit scared of oats. I may take a closer look at wheat or barley. I've got 8 monthes to think on it I guess. I'd be happy to spend a grand on a nice swather.
 

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