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NE Iowa | It used to be that keeping a bunch of land in alfalfa for stock cow feed was an easy thing to do. Now with the high grain prices, rents, cost of P & K fertilizer, and fuel even home grown alfalfa gets expensive. Always thinking of ways to feed the cows cheaper. Only have a small herd so grinding cornstalks and mixing with distillers is not very feasible. Lately I've been planting quite a bit of cereal rye in the fall as a cover crop. Mostly on bean stubble going to corn but some on cornstalk ground going to beans where I baled the stalks. Wondering if instead of spraying the rye early next spring if I should let some of it go and bale it before planting beans. Trying to crunch the numbers the biggest factors that I don't have a handle on is potential tonnage of the rye and also the yield drag on the beans. I'm in NE Iowa and most years (except '12) in April and May we fight excess moisture and not a lack of. Looking for others experience with baling or chopping rye and then planting to either corn or beans:
- What yield did you get off the rye (bales or tons)?
- Where are you located and when was the rye ready to cut? I like to plant beans the last couple days of April / first day of May and wondering how much of a delay this would cause.
- What yield reduction did you see in the following crop (bu/acre) compared to fields that you didn't harvest rye from? I'm guessing at least 5 bu of beans but not sure.
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Baling Cereal Rye for Feed - Delayed Planting??
