Central/Northeast Missouri | Exciting news, picked up 50ish more acres of hay ground/CRP ground for next spring! Young guys gotta get started somewhere! I'm located in central northeast missouri and its on mostly clay based ground. I had a few questions for the CRP experts on here. The main field (pictured) is 27 acres and hasn't been touched except for the occasional brush hog in the past 15 years so it is pretty hairy with an occasional sapling and evergreen. The other acres (not pictured) are all hay ground that was just baled off a few days ago. I plan to go to soybeans next spring and wondered what route you would suggest for getting the crop established.
Options-
1. Have large field baled off in next few weeks, fall spray all acres, spring burndown and plant
2. mow field / not bale (risk wet mat of residue next spring), fall spray, spring burndown and plant
3. leave field alone, come in spring, plant into thick growing stand of grass then spray shortly after
4. Bale around memorial day next spring, plant same day, spray after some new growth shortly after
5. ???
The only downside to having it baled is that I will receive no benefit or money from the hay as I will not be baling it and I will lose the fertilzer and organic matter value that those bales hold, however it would leave me with a clean field with no saplings to plant and clear boundaries for the local co-op so when they spray they don't kill the waterways I plan to leave.
Its Mostly fescue with some native prairie grass and some lespedeza that seems to be taking over and choking out the fescue and prairie grass
I plan to no-till with a IH cyclo 6-30", 2 passes at opposite angles so it closes canopy faster. Inoculate and treat seed
Ground hasn't received much fertilizer other than some 10-10-10 on the hay ground, large field was mined for a few years before being put into crp so a soil test and fertilizer is in the plan. Owner(my uncle) doesn't want it burned off or Tilled at least for the first year.
Thanks!
Edited by FarmGuy97 8/16/2017 22:20
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CRP to soybean questions
