# CRP Haying and Grazing



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Sounds like North Dakota CRP is going to be opened for some haying and grazing again this year. Haven't seen the details yet.


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## duckp (Mar 13, 2008)

Pretty much every type of CRP was opened here in SoDak.Heard yesterday even CP37(waterfowl habitat)was opening for emergency haying/grazing.


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Oh well, give the farmers and ranchers a bit more flexibility with their land and maybe they won't be so quick to plow up grasslands. As long as they're not haying or grazing before July 15, I'm fine with it.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Yes, no problem with it. Unfortunately the nutritional quality is going to be that of straw on many of these acres. Lots of farmers hoping to chop corn instead of harvesting it, if the nitrates aren't too high.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I would be willing to let them hay 1/3 every year, but not cut all of it so there is no winter cover. Lets face it habitat was one of the justifications for keeping this program. Cutting 1/3 every year would be better than cutting all of it in an emergency. They could save their surplus on good years. Of course that would mean they would have to exercise some self control and not simply increase their herd numbers and be in the same trouble when drought hits again. The key is self control ---- do they have that?


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## BirdJ (Aug 24, 2011)

Dick Monson said:


> Yes, no problem with it. Unfortunately the nutritional quality is going to be that of straw on many of these acres. Lots of farmers hoping to chop corn instead of harvesting it, if the nitrates aren't too high.


Some farmers are already starting to bail their corn before it gets to brown because they know they won't get a crop out of it. Sad for everyone all the way around!!!!!!!


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## BirdJ (Aug 24, 2011)

Plainsman said:


> I would be willing to let them hay 1/3 every year, but not cut all of it so there is no winter cover. Lets face it habitat was one of the justifications for keeping this program. Cutting 1/3 every year would be better than cutting all of it in an emergency. They could save their surplus on good years. Of course that would mean they would have to exercise some self control and not simply increase their herd numbers and be in the same trouble when drought hits again. The key is self control ---- do they have that?


Can't agree with you more. They did that back in 1996 if i'm not mistaken. As for managing their heards, I would like to know how you would do that. LOL I have seen plenty of surplus over the last 4 years just sitting around and rotting but at the time better to have it on hand than not have it at all. Whats going to happen with the rest of these crops before winter? If we have a bad winter will wildlife in general survive it? Don't know with the lack of habitat and food. Business will hurt in a lot of different ways and its just not us! Its everyone in the whole centeral part of the US. Mother nature gave us all a thumb up the you know what and that's something we can't change! Just hope everything and everyone can make through this bad time!


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

BirdJ, I hope everyone makes it too.



> Some farmers are already starting to bail their corn


I would have thought they would chop it for silage. I remember packing that stuff with a Ford tractor when I was a kid. The cows loved those fermenting pools of corn.


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## BirdJ (Aug 24, 2011)

Plainsman said:


> BirdJ, I hope everyone makes it too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Some of the corn around here don't have a big enough ear on it to justify it for silage. Pretty much just stalks and leaves. But I could be wrong.


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## jpallen14 (Nov 28, 2005)

BirdJ said:


> Plainsman said:
> 
> 
> > BirdJ, I hope everyone makes it too.
> ...


Nitrogen might be too high in the stuff they are bailing


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

quote]Nitrogen might be too high in the stuff they are bailing[/quote]

I don't know what I did wrong, but my post vanished. I'm sure it was my fault.

Anyway, I forgot what the problem is with nitrogen. Do cattle abort if nitrogen intake is to high? Also, if you leave it and you get a good rain and growth spurt will the nitrogen content go down? I would think nitrogen would be used up in growth. I'm not sure, but I was just thinking about this and the photosynthesis process.


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

when corn is seeded in good growing conditions, the corn plant absorbs plenty of nitrates. if drought conditions occur and limit kernel growth, the stored nitrates aren't utilized. High nitrate levels can be toxic to cattle (and humans) and can also cause excessive build up of "silo gas." Lots of explanations concerning nitrates/drought right now being circulated in farm publications and websites. Lots of radio ads right now in Eastern SD for companies that test for this stuff.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Can they get a low protein silage out of it, and would it be worth cutting? I sure hate to see it go to waste. Even if the insurance companies pay off I hope they don't require it plowed down. My gosh today people make a big deal about recycling an aluminum can. What a waste if the insurance don't let them utilize it somehow.


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## jpallen14 (Nov 28, 2005)

Plainsman said:


> Can they get a low protein silage out of it, and would it be worth cutting? I sure hate to see it go to waste. Even if the insurance companies pay off I hope they don't require it plowed down. My gosh today people make a big deal about recycling an aluminum can. What a waste if the insurance don't let them utilize it somehow.


I'm sure tons will be wasted. Many of the areas of high drought in southern SD are black tundra/ fence row to fence row dirt farming with little cattle. Tons of farmers have gotten rid of their cattle in the last 10 years and turned their pasture into endless corn fields.


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## Ref (Jul 21, 2003)

I live in town and bag my grass when I cut the lawn. I feed about 3-4 garbage bags of grass clippings to a friends cattle about once a week. The cattle love it because when we get to the middle of the summer, the clippings are nice and green. There are about 12 cattle. I fertilze my lawn in the Spring with a high nitrogen mixture. Should I continue to feed this to the cattle?


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## Ref (Jul 21, 2003)

No responses to my post from any of the ag chemical guys out there? It was a serious question. I don't want to harm my friend's cattle or the prople who are going to eat them. If what I am doing is harmful, then I won't do it anymore.


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

Ref said:


> No responses to my post from any of the ag chemical guys out there? It was a serious question. I don't want to harm my friend's cattle or the prople who are going to eat them. If what I am doing is harmful, then I won't do it anymore.


Are you feeding it all to 1 animal? or dumping it in a feed bunk on a 500 head operation? No idea if it would affect the cattle, but it probably would affect 1 animal more than it would if multiple animals were eating the ration.


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## Ref (Jul 21, 2003)

Hey Professor.....thanks for answering. I feed it to a small herd of about 12 two-year-old cattle.


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