Pasture Improvement

I picked up a pound of Aeschynomene seed a week ago having no idea what it was, but the girl at the store was smoking hot so I took it. 

Edis lists Deer Vetch as its common name.  Good forage for deer and cattle.  It's a warm season annual legume with 20% or more protein.  Bull is going to get fat if this stuff shows up!

I'm doing what I can to diversify that back field.  Right now its mostly grass, with a weed here and there.  I've started a patch of red clover, white clover, and chicory.  Have another patch of millet.  These are not tilled or cultivated patches, just broadcast seed and a sprinkler to help the seed get established.  The grass is pretty thin out there.  The drought has done some damage.  Rather than let just grass come back, this is a good chance to give the bull a bit of variety.

good job using you're drought as an oputunity

If you want to improve pasture, there is no better tool than using herbivores. Cows are best because of their weight and the shape of their hooves. Please check out "Mob Grazing". Also see http://www.greenpasturesfarm.net . Home of Greg Judy who has done amazing things with cattle. Also google Holistic Management International.

The bull will help with improving your pasture, but it would be great to get some more cows/heifers in there to increase animal impact and the amount of manure and urine. Move the cows to a new spot at least every 3 days to prevent overgrazing, and don't allow them access to pasture they have already grazed until it is fully recovered. To see if a grass plant is fully recovered, see if you can find 4 leaves. If you do, the bottom leaf closest to the ground should start to turn brown/yellow at the tip. If you see this, the grass is recovered and can be grazed again.

Best of luck with that bull running around!

Ken Peavey wrote:
I picked up a pound of Aeschynomene seed a week ago having no idea what it was, but the girl at the store was smoking hot so I took it. 
Edis

Proves my point.  When I retire I want to get one of those mobile kiosks, set it up down at the farmers market and get some hot college girls and guys to sell stuff - anything; bad coffee, unidentifiable meat, kool-aid.

Back to the topic: I just picked up some rapeseed, cress, and mustard.  The mustard always does well here, I have heard cress and rape do too.   But I don't find too many people eating the rape (canola type// not onion type) greens.  I'm going to plant the rape anyway but I'm not sure about eating the greens.

I also read somewhere that crops grow better after rape has been planted?  Can't find it again - anyone else heard that?

North Florida so look into perennial peanut . It lasts forever, started from rhizomes, a legume that fixes its own nitrogen, high in protein known as the alfalfa of the south, grazable and horses love it.