Mark Reynolds wrote:Hello, and welcome!
First thing's first. I'm somewhat new here myself, but I suspect that my expertise might be what you are looking for. I'm a professional grazing specialist. I've got a few questions for you first though that will help me and others answer your questions. Where exactly are you? I'm going to guess you are east of the Mississippi and somewhere north of Tennessee/North Carolina based on Orchard grass, Dutch white and Alske. Probably further north than those 'southern' 2 states, and the fact that you mentioned KY bluegrass, which is interesting, but I'll get to that.
How many acres are we talking about and how many/what kind of animals are we talking about? 2nd question: have you taken a soil test and applied lime/fertilizer as needed according to what the results of the soil test are? (I'm guessing you have an understanding of the nitrogen contributed by legumes as you have already included 2 of them in your sed mix.)
You planted orchardgrass which is a great grass, but did you pick a variety developed for hay, grazing, or general purpose? In terms of winter grazing possibilities, You want to look at a tall fescue variety. Probably an endophyte alternative variety such as Max-Q, but there are others.
KY bluegrass? Really. I don't often see it nor hear of anyone speak of it, but it is a favorite of mine. The quality of it is excellent. The downfall is, it is almost solely developed for lawns. That means most varieties are short and slow growing. Exactly the opposite of what you want. Pre-WW2 Kentucky bluegrass was king. Nowdays it's been largely overgrazed and grazed out. There is, however, a couple of varieties that will meet your needs. One of those is Ginger Kentucky Bluegrass.
I look forward to your reply.
Hey Mark! I appreciate your reply.
I am in Western Pennsylvania to be exact. My sheep + cattle graze on the same pasture, which is 7-8 acres, which I fence off portions so they can completely graze the area and move them to fresh grass (rotational grazing?). I am very small scale, God-willing will become a little bigger in the future, but my animals are as follows: 3 ewes and 1 ram. Also, I have 3 Piedmontese heifers, which will be AI'd with Galloway, and working to acquire a Jersey dairy cow. So, not a large population. I should have stated that the pasture they are in currently was a soybean plot. When I broadcast seeded, the the seeds quickly sprouted and flourished (considering maybe it was a soybean field, could be good soil I thought). I never did a test on the pasture currently being grazed because I figured the seeds took, so must be great, right??? LOL
Unfortunately, I have another 2 pastures that were conventional corn fields and *anything* (I mean, anything, even inoculated seeds) I throw does not catch the way the current pasture did. How do I do a soil test? Can I do it myself?
Also, re: orchard grass. I have no idea if it is for hay, grazing, or general purpose. All I know is, it bolted so quick this year. I purchased these seeds from Hancock Seed Company, but prices are astronomical this year, almost doubled from when I first purchased.
A lot of people say the same about KY BlueGrass. is great for sheep + cattle (horses too) and wanted to give it a try. Yet, I find the problem you spoke of; it's mainly used for lawns, which is crazy.
Let me know what you think.
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