The equine digestive system is designed to extract nutrients from grass. It is better to use switchgrass during just two of the three summer months. Hey, hay is for horses! New leaves begin developing in early spring using energy reserves stored in the roots. Delivery or pickup is available. Deer Need Quality Cover To Hide In . It stabilizes soil on strip-mine spoils, sand dunes, dikes, construction sites and other critical areas. Switchgrass roots deeply and can withstand flooding, so it’s a good option if you’re concerned about erosion on your property. Following is the technical information on stand establishment and management of switchgrass. Switchgrass is an excellent candidate for biofuel production. No-till planting of switchgrass has also been successful in Wisconsin. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a native warm-season grass that is a leading biomass crop in the United States. If you get fall rains, it's not going to do that year's crops much good." When managed properly, warm-season grass hay can provide good quality forage, especially for beef cattle. good warm-season pasture and high quality hay for livestock. If your native grass planting isn't hiding deer during the hunting season (all of it), then another variety of grass is needed. Alfalfa has 3 times more calcium then grass hay. Better switchgrass, better biofuel June 17, 2015 - Kaine Korzekwa Using switchgrass to produce biofuel is one way to decrease the United States’ dependence on oil, but growing it and making it profitable can be complicated. Frost seeding is most likely the best way to establish a switchgrass field that will deliver the purest and fastest growing native grass planting that you can create. It is a valuable soil stabilization plant on strip-mine spoils, sand dunes, dikes, and other critical areas. Be cautious if feeding hay to cattle on switchgrass pastures during late winter and early spring. I hang several nets on fence posts and inside the run ins, so they move around quite a bit, sampling everywhere. Panicum virgatum, commonly known as switchgrass, is a perennial warm season bunchgrass native to North America, where it occurs naturally from 55°N latitude in Canada southwards into the United States and Mexico.Switchgrass is one of the dominant species of the central North American tallgrass prairie and can be found in remnant prairies, in native grass pastures, and naturalized along roadsides. Fig. Switchgrass grows best on well-drained soils with good moisture supply; however, it will grow on droughty or moderately wet soils and will tolerate occasional flooding. The calcium may be higher in Alfalfa, but the Phosphorus is about the same as grass. Over the past several years, there has been increasing interest in cultivating alternative grasses to produce hays suitable for horses. Benefits: Grass hay is lower in protein and energy than legume hay — but it’s also higher in fiber, which can make it a good choice for many horses. Tags: grazing; management; switchgrass; cellulosic … It is higher in calcium which can be good and bad. Switchgrass is very productive, is very drought tolerant, and can grow on particularly wet sites. Switchgrass is not good as the only forage source for all of June, July, and August. Erosion Control: Switchgrass is perhaps our most valuable native grass on a wide range of sites. “Switchgrass can be harvested and sold as a biomass crop for ethanol production or as fuel for power plants. The proceedings of the 2003 Equine Nutrition and Physiology Society symposium reports scientific research on three forages that may be of interest to horse producers: big bluestem, Indiangrass, and eastern gamagrass. While the lower relative nutrition level of grass hay makes it a good filler, it does have relatively more carbohydrates. Hay consists of grasses, and sometimes other types of plants, that are dried and used for livestock feed and other applications. It is highly adaptable to a wide range of soils and growing conditions. This is not an issue with the other four species of NWSG. Warm-Season Grasses for Hay and Pasture Switchgrass, Indiangrass, and big bluestem are warm-season grasses that are a suitable alternative for sum-mer pasture in Iowa. Switchgrass is a vigorous, native, perennial, bunchgrass that grows throughout most of the United States. It is also provides erosion protection in plantings as vegetative barriers and buffer strips. Switchgrass definition is - a tall North American panic grass (Panicum virgatum) that is used for hay and forage. As nouns the difference between hay and switchgrass is that hay is (uncountable) grass cut and dried for use as animal fodder or hay can be the name of the letter for the h sound in pitman shorthand while switchgrass is a tall north american perennial grass, , used as forage and to make hay. Switchgrass: A Living Solar Battery for the Prairies, Ecological Agriculture Projects, McGill University, Canada, 1991 - Very good ethanol production analysis that points out the broad benefits of switchgrass fermentation. Switchgrass can be harvested for use as hay feed or biofuel production, but its height and simple beauty make it a good choice for the home garden as well. This means that grass hay, not alfalfa hay, is a more dangerous food for an obese horse, or a horse with laminitis concerns. Since it’s less nutrient-dense than legume hay, horses have to eat more grass hay to fill their bellies, which makes grass hay a good tool for keeping a stall-bound horse from getting bored. It should be noted though, that switchgrass hay should not be fed to horses because of a potential for phytotoxicity and liver damage. Quality of switchgrass is good if grazed early but very poor if grazing is delayed until heading. There are two basic types of switchgrass – upland and lowland, which is considerably taller. A good quality cereal hay is harvested when the grain is immature (soft dough stage) and the leaves and stems are still green, and therefore higher in digestible nutrients. The good thing about them is that the overweight horse lost weight, the other two, much bigger, are in perfect weight, I make sure they never run out of hay, no more excitement when I come with the"grain"( no grain at all, soaked hay pellets with supplements). good quality warm-season pasture and hay for livestock. For example, Alfalfa contains 21.2% protein and 11% simple starches. good warm-season pasture and high quality hay for livestock. NWSG forage production varies over the season. The Phosphorus (essential mineral for horses) ratio should be 2:1. This warm-season grass is an exceptional forage for pasture and hay for livestock. Obviously, horses need calcium, but too much can be unhealthy. "Switchgrass needs most of its moisture in spring and midsummer. Do not feed switchgrass to horses since switchgrass can cause photosensitization in horses. Two warm-season grasses adapted to Pennsylvania are switchgrass and big bluestem. If these leaves are grazed too early and the plant needs to develop new ones, the plant becomes susceptible to energy depletion and may weaken and die. If the cereal hay is harvested after the grain is removed, it is no longer considered hay but straw. Switchgrass — Because of its role in bioenergy, switchgrass may be the most familiar of these grasses. Their advantage over cool-season grasses such as bluegrass, bromegrass, and orchard-grass is their ability to produce during midsummer. Photosensitization of Sheep and Goats from Switchgrass Hay by Dan Undersander, Extension Forage Agronomist I have had a couple reports of photosensitization of sheep from feeding switchgrass hay. Switchgrass can also be used as livestock feed (either hay or pasture) during summer while most cool-season grasses experience summer slump. Horses need long-stem fiber to remain healthy - in a perfect situation horses will graze for approximately 18 hours per day. Switchgrass is a native, warm-season perennial grass. One of the options is to feed hay. Erosion Control: Switchgrass is perhaps our most valuable native grass on a wide range of sites. Avoid stemmy, mature growth. Once established and properly managed, switchgrass is a long-term perennial. 1. Erosion Control: Switchgrass is a valuable native grass on a wide range of sites. This is counter intuitive for most horse people, but is certainly something to keep in mind in regards to your horse. Switchgrass is a source of low-quality fodder for animals, and with hay prices expected to be in the $80-per-ton range (at 15% moisture), switchgrass might be more valuable as livestock feed than as a cellulosic feedstock. In digestibility trials conducted at Penn State over a three-year period, warm-season grasses were 65 percent digestibile and orchardgrass was 68 percent digestible. In digestibility trials conducted at Penn State over a three-year period, warm-season grasses were 65 percent digestible and orchardgrass was 68 percent digestible. Switchgrass should be planted in the spring after soil temperature is above 60°F. It is also suitable for low windbreak plantings in truck crop fields. Either graze switchgrass uniformly in June and July or graze completely in June and graze regrowth in August. Adapted Varieties. Cultipacking after planting helps establish good contact with soil and speeds germination. Alamo Switchgrass - The Ultimate Biomass Crop - has produced as much as 15 Tons/Acre. ND-Switchgrass Biomass Yields in the Northern Great Plains (PAVI2) ND-Switchgrass as a Bioenergy Crop (PAVI2) NE-Developing Switchgrass Into a Biomass Fuel Crop (PAVI2) NE-Switchgrass for Grazing and Hay (PAVI2) OH-Ohio State University Seed Biology (PAVI2) OK-Noble Foundation Plant Image Gallery (PAVI2) OK-Oklahoma Forages (PAVI2) What if the horse owner does not have good pasture? The sheep would seek out the darkest locations. 3. quality hay. It is also suitable for low windbreak plantings in truck crop fields. After feeding the hay a week or two, the sheep started exhibiting extreme sensitivity to light and muscle tremors/twitching. When managed properly, warm-season grass hay can provide good quality forage, especially for beef cattle. Two warm-season grasses that are adapted to Pennsylvania are switchgrass and big bluestem. Switchgrass begins growth 2 to 3 weeks earlier than big bluestem, which is about a week earlier than indiangrass (Figure 1). Planting is recommended on a firm, well prepared seedbed at a depth of 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Located in Burlington Ontario, Halton Hay is a producer and supplier of premium agricultural products including hay and switchgrass bedding. Stand establishment In areas like Raleigh, N.C., it can last up to 15 years. There are other potential markets for switchgrass as an energy crop: Pellets for fuel. More than 70 years of experience with switchgrass as a hay and forage crop suggest switchgrass will be productive and sustainable on rain-fed marginal land east of the 100th meridian. Cave-n-Rock switchgrass is a perennial, warm season native grass that grows an average of 3-5 feet tall, but in some regions, can reach up to 6 feet tall at maturity. Switchgrass can offer the base for high quality, diverse whitetail bedding habitat. 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