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Irrigated Grass in the Sandhills

4K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  prairie 
#1 ·
Just currious if anyone has had any experience with irrigated grass in very sandy soil. I have irrigated land in the sandhills of nebraska. I have been growing forages as I need good quality hay more than anything. I would like to try some irrigated grass mixes, something that would possibly produce two or three cuttings a year, possibly some grazing if possible. I like the feed value of the forages, (oats, millet, triticale, etc..) but I am not convinced that it pays to fertilize and irrigate them. From experience with my grazing lands (not irrigated) I know grasses like big blue, prairie sand reed, indian grass, etc, do well in this soil, just not sure what kind of production I could get out of these. If you have had any experience with something like this i would appreciate your feedback. Thanks in advance
 
#2 ·
I've found orchard and brome does pretty well in sandy soil. But you really have to irrigate it a lot. I guess it depends on how you irrigate and how much water you have available.
 
#5 ·
Water is really no concern, with a pivot pumping 900+ g/m. But I would like to reduce my irrigating costs if possible. How does your orchard and brome yield?
I get about 5-6 tons an acre. I fertilize before 1st and 2nd cuttings. I might get more if I fertilize before 3rd, but I don't feel we get more then the cost of fertilizer though. You might not have to irrigate as much as we do on the sand because it is slightly more humid in the sand hills of NE.
 
#7 ·
Hi Hollhay,

I live north of Broken Bow about 25 miles. We raise alfalfa, cut meadows and also raise Sand Bluestem for seed production for Arrow Seed. I would give them a call and see what might work for you.

As for the Sand Bluestem. I had some this year on sand soil that produced 25 round bales on about 6 acres. I did not weigh these bales, but I estimating they are in the 1,100 # range. This is one cutting, cut about 1st of August. The new growth is about 12" high or so and I do not plan on cutting it again. This was an old seed production field on 30" row spacing. So I do not know what it would do when planting thicker other than sod bound faster. In your case that might work.

The nice thing about a native stand is that it should last years with now replant, and you are able to control weeds (even many grass weeds) with chemicals like Bicep and Dual.

A good meadow brome might work as well. Give Arrow a call and see what they might recommend.

Take care,

Troy
 
#8 ·
The best thing you could do is contact Bob Scriven, Kearney NE, 308-440-7385. He is an irrigated pasture consultant that can help walk you through some of the economics, planning and decision making, and would likely save you time, money and frustration. He is available for on site and continuing consultation. He has worked for many years with irrigated and other pasture/forage consulting across the US.

Two other excellent resources are:

Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist 402-472-6237, banderson1@unl.edu

Jerry Volesky, UNL Range and Forage Specialist, 308-696-6710, jerry.volesky@unl.edu

As you suspected irrigating warm season native grasses is usually not economical,but don't completely rule it out. You are probably looking at a cool season grass/legume mix, as they will make more efficient use of the added water and fertility. Grass species may include Meadow Brome, Orchardgrass, Tall Fescue, Meadow Fescue, Smooth Brome, Intermediate Wheatgrass, and Festulolium. Legumes may include, Alfalfa, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Red Clover, White Clover, and Sainfoin. Species selection will depend on the existing soil fertility and your plans on how much additional water and fertility you can economically add. Generally in northern Nebraska, simulating around a 30" rainfall enviroment with 125-150 units of N spread throughout the season will be in the optimal ballpark.

We have worked with a lot of irrigated pasture establishment in Nebraska and the surrounding states, and irrigated pasture seed mixtures were our main business until corn prices skyrocketed a few years ago. Thankfully about that time cover cropping interest exploded, and we had been dealing and promoting that for years before it became popular. In one year our gross sales increased 30%, but from 80%+ pasture mixes to 95%+ cover crop seed. As we buy our seed 6-12 months in advance, that rapid and drastic change created an inventory and cash flow nightmare!! Now with high cattle prices, a shortage of pasture due to converting to crop land, and low corn prices, irrigated pasture is making up a larger percentage of my inquirys. I expect our pasture seed sales to be much higher in the next few years.
 
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