Advice on what to do with my Oats Cover Crop

[Rightsaidfred]

Im in Near North Ontario Canada, short season here for hay , winters are long and hard with lots of snow and very cold.

This past May I seeded about 8 acres with hay seed, and an oats cover crop. All growing well

I dont have access to a combine to harvest the oats this fall so im looking for what my options are, or what the best options are.

1) leave it and let it die off and get snowed down - hope it will allow the new hay to grow next spring and not choke it out
2) Bush hog it (cut high)and hope that the areas where the tires of the tractor run don't choke it too bad as it flattens the oats
3) Mow it with the disc Mower, rake it and Round bale it with the oats still on the stems and hope that I find someone to buy 20 or more 4 1/2 ' round bales of oat straw with oats attached. Im a bit afraid of this option as my mower is a Vermeer 9' 3 point hitch mounted disc mower, works well but for sure I have to rake too get my wind rows, Im a bit concerned about new hay/gras damage from raking so soon on freshly seeded field. I also dont want to be stuck with 20 bales of straw I wont use

I did option 2 last yr on a different field and it was "ok" but not ideal

Interested in your thoughts, thank you.

 

[K5lwq]

It would be neat if someone would build a small pull behind combine again for small operations. I thought I heard of one but could not find anything. Maybe find a old one and restore it would be neat.

 

[Tx Jim]

If the oats were under my care I'd cut them in the early milk stage then rake & rd bale them. Waiting until after early milk stage to cut will get you formed hard seed heads which are rodent magnets. If you don't bale the oat crop then you should have a very nice, thick volunteer oat crop next season.

 

[Egon]

In past times oats was cut early and used as green feed for cattle. That was with a Binder.

I should make good feed for horses also.

 

[mx1alex]

I'd just leave it. Some will come back next year but just bale it right along with your new grass. It's not worth much as hay/straw they way it is right now.

 

[Tx Jim]

I'd just leave it. Some will come back next year but just bale it right along with your new grass. It's not worth much as hay/straw they way it is right now.

May I ask how from reading K5lwq's post that you can determine that his oats are not worth much as hay/straw? Almost any bale of fodder is better than a snowflake in the Wintertime.

 

[mx1alex]

May I ask how from reading K5lwq's post that you can determine that his oats are not worth much as hay/straw? Almost any bale of fodder is better than a snowflake in the Wintertime.

Well it's all relative I guess but as you mentioned as hay there's way more value when it's cut early. Very little feed value in straw. I guess I'm not familiar with the climate up there where he is at but I would assume it's past that point now. The OP indicated that the oats were planted as a cover crop. I would just let them be just that and return whatever nutrients they have taken up back to the soil for the what it is he really wants to grow, grass for hay. Just my opinion of course.

 

[Tx Jim]

I would just let them be just that and return whatever nutrients they have taken up back to the soil for the what it is he really wants to grow, grass for hay. Just my opinion of course.

I'll quote 1 of K5lwq's statements[/quote) leave it and let it die off and get snowed down - hope it will allow the new hay to grow next spring and not choke it out[/quote]

As I previously stated I think if oats are allowed to go to seed especially down here where I live one should have a ""very good crop of volunteer oats"" next year. I don't know if it would be thick enough to choke out his hay crop he planted.

 

[Rightsaidfred]

I'll quote 1 of K5lwq's statements[/quote) leave it and let it die off and get snowed down - hope it will allow the new hay to grow next spring and not choke it out

As I previously stated I think if oats are allowed to go to seed especially down here where I live one should have a ""very good crop of volunteer oats"" next year. I don't know if it would be thick enough to choke out his hay crop he planted.
[/QUOTE]

The oats dont re-grow here if they're left to go to seed and left on the ground. Not sure why that is, but they just dont. so we dont get the "volunteer oat crop"

So is the consensus to just leave them to get snowed down or brush-hog 'em down ?

 

[Tx Jim]

I suppose that's the reason different area's of the world experience different farming practices.

 

[CH4Ohio]

As I previously stated I think if oats are allowed to go to seed especially down here where I live one should have a ""very good crop of volunteer oats"" next year. I don't know if it would be thick enough to choke out his hay crop he planted.

The oats dont re-grow here if they're left to go to seed and left on the ground. Not sure why that is, but they just dont. so we dont get the "volunteer oat crop"

So is the consensus to just leave them to get snowed down or brush-hog 'em down ?
[/QUOTE]



It's pretty common for the old timer farmers around here to use oats as a cover crop or "nurse" crop. I think the ultimate benefit is largely dependent on the weather, but since that's always unknown, I get it. I've had really good luck with NO cover crop, but the weather cooperated.

The plan here is to always cut the hay crop when it's first ready and just bale the oats (with the oats still in the heads) along with that first cutting. That's the end of the oats.

We tried feeding some hay made this way last month. It was a new planting of alfalfa, clover, and orchard grass with oats as a cover crop. Got cut later than normal because it wasn't established yet. I was surprised that horses turned their nose up at it -- maybe they're a little spoiled with the alfalfa, timothy, OG hay they've been eating. Fortunately, cows will eat anything and it's plenty good hay for cows or goats.

I'd bale it and get it out of the way of your new hay crop.

Just my opinion.

 

[Rightsaidfred]

Im just gonna hog it "long"

its basically dried out so its just straw (not hay).

We dont feed straw, its good for bedding to some I guess.

Some of my fields are currently so soft I'd make a mess going in there with too much equipment. July was record setting wet here so Im gonna wait a while and see if the ground firms upon and ill bush hog it.

Id prefer to bale it, but its not gonna happen

 

[Rightsaidfred]

Hogged it down this week, left it at 6-8" long, all good !

look forward to decent hay of that field next year.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

Im in Near North Ontario Canada, short season here for hay , winters are long and hard with lots of snow and very cold.

I dont have access to a combine to harvest the oats this fall so im looking for what my options are, or what the best options are.
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Up here in the far west this would not be a problem... The bears would "harvest" it as quick as it got to any kind of stage where they could digest it.. I have seen them scoot along on there belly, pushing with there back legs, using there front legs to sweep the oats up to there mouth...

I do sow a bit of oats and such to cut with the brush hog, gather and let our chickens and geese pick it over for what ever they find of nutritious..