Basic farming question

I have acquired a property that has been abused. It is highly compacted and has a good crop of bind weed, salt grass and thistles.

I will sub soil and go after the bind weeds to eliminate.

I plan on planting alfalfa in 2005, but in 2004 I wanted to get the soil worked and then worked again after harvest to get as smooth a seed bed as possible and to finish off the salt grass.

Here is where I need some friendly advice, I plan on planting oats in 2004. Would I be better off harvesting the oats as a grain crop or would it be better to bale it for hay.

I am in Kansas and oat prices are under $2.00/bu
I don't know the value of oat hay.

Maybe I should plant something different if oat prices are so low. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I just called my county weed department to confirm what I thought I knew, and was correct.

In Kansas it is illegal to sell any residue off of land that is infested with noxious weeds. Forget oat hay, wheat straw, or any other. It is flat illegal to sell. You can bale it for use on your own property however.

Personally I would suggest a genetically modified crop and a Roundup like product for the first crop year in order to get the unwanted plants under control. A properly licensed ag sprayer should be able to chemically treat without fear of contaminating the creek. You are correct in being concerned.

A deep plowing would also help to bury the weed seed.

Since it has been compacted by cattle, I would chisel now, and let the freeze/thaw action help to break up the clods.

From your email address I suspect that your area is just too far west to grow soybeans. I'm in the Hutchinson area where they do okay. (Does the guy that used to own the drive-in theaters still live in your area? Paul? Ricketts? If he does, ask him about dancing with Bob Hope in the 1960s.)

your nrcs office will have soils maps and should be able to make some suggestions--also check with several neighbors--and ofcourse a local soil service or fertilizer-seed company--

the whole thing is there is no one tried and true answer--you will have some failures and hopefully get to some successes--i do hope that my opinion is worth more than it has cost--

good luck and best wishes

I never used this all the years I farmed. Of course I came up in the chemical age. I have also seen my share of failures with those as well. Upon becomming a semi retired old codger, I had time to fool with some of these more organic ideas. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of these yuppie envoirmentalists. I have always said good farmers were always very much organic, they just used chemicals to achive a balance.

I once had 2 acres of buckwheat adjacent to our house. I noticed the buckwheat comming in blossom, time to plow it down. My wife and I awakened one Sunday morning to the sound of bees, and loud enough to hear it in the house. I went outside to find what I would guess was 30 to 50 honey bees per square foot. The neighbors could even hear this. If you do the numbers on this probably 2.5 million bees in my buckwheat. They were only around until about noon. They were back the next morning but only about half the numbers. Man can that many bees make a noise in a small area.

This is interesting.

Why was the ground abused? Is it good tillable soil, otherwise? Dryland, I'm assuming? It is kind of hard to talk about this without seeing your dirt. :>)

Talking blind & assuming you have decent soil, I think I'd gamble and hit this guy with both barrels right off the bat.

If you wait until 05 to plant the alfalfa, you are not going to see a substantial crop until 06; that's two years away!

If it were mine, I think I'd plow it early next spring after the thaw and I'd plow it deep or hit it with a one-way. Trouble is, oats will not do well in loose soil, as you already know.

So, why not go back in and hit it with a packer and plant your oats with a close-spaced 7" drill while planting the alfalfa at the same time using a good heavier than normal rate?

With any luck (and rain), the oats will cover quickly and help to fight your weed problem.

If not, you still can drop the oats earlier next season and hay it, with that new alfalfa crop coming in behind. If the rains come in right, you might even get the first cutting of alfalfa off next fall.

Bottom line is: at the tail end of next year, you should have your alfalfa crop established. I wouldn't waste a whole year just fighting the weeds.

I'm just an old man talking to hear myself talk, and whatever you do, I hope you well.

You Kansas boys are some kick-ass farmers, know about small grains and how they work; and whatever you decide, I'm sure it will work out.

Allan

By abused I was referring to compaction by running several hundred cattle on the 160 acres in the fall and in the spring of the year when the ground was wet. It hasn't been tilled for years nor fertilized. It will be a nice property when it is worked.

I agree with the alfalfa/oats mix as it will speed me up a year to do so. I still may till it twice to thoroughly brerak up the salt grass roots.

The buckwheat suggestion is interesting and will look into it more for planting in the more weedy areas.

I may go the Roundup route, but the property has a small creek running through the middle and has several acres of wetland grass, so I want to be extra careful if I use chemicals. I won't if I can remedy the weed problem without it.

I had no idea that bindweed could lay dormant for 90 years, oh well.....