Open fields this winter are prime candidates for a spring forage crop.
Spring-planted oats can provide many possibilities for farmers. Typically, in Oklahoma, oats are mainly grown for hay, but they can also provide a quick grazing pasture that can bridge the gap until summer pasture is available or even provide cover for a summer crop.
While oats can be grazed, the crop can’t handle intensive grazing, as well as some of the dual-purpose varieties of wheat. Typically, planting dates for Oklahoma are mid-February to mid-March. A minimum average daily soil temperature of 45 degrees is needed to avoid germination issues, but waiting until 50 degrees is reached would be more ideal.
Sowing oats will be very similar to other small grains like wheat, but oats are much lighter, about 32 pounds per bushel. Seeding rates range from 80-120 pounds per acre depending on planting conditions and seed costs. Conventionally, tilled fields often will have better stand establishment and early seedling vigor, but direct seeding into no-till can still be adequate when previous crop residues are minimum.
Higher seeding rates are often beneficial to achieving forage production goals. Producers should note seed quality and adjust seeding rates accordingly. Ideally, germination rates should be higher than 85%. Spring planted oats usually will not tiller much, so adequate seeding rates can be critical to production from single-stemmed plants.
When selecting oat varieties, one characteristic to inquire about should be maturity. Short maturity oat varieties produce more grain. Medium and longer maturity oat varieties tend to yield more forage. Field research from Texas A&M Agrilife Extension confirmed these statements.
Longer maturities were also preferred when used for onetime hay harvest. Ag Insights November 2023 Spring-planted winter oats will likely yield less forage than fall-sown winter wheat. Grazing forage production potential from spring-planted oats will average 1,500-2,000 pounds of forage per acre. Actual rates of nitrogen would be about 40-60 pounds to produce this amount of forage.
Since oat seedlings are not as stress tolerant as wheat, it is recommended to wait until the crop is 6 to 8 inched tall before initiating grazing. About 35 to 60 days of grazing should be expected. When laying down for hay, peak forage quality is reached once the crop reaches the boot growth stage. Harvesting between late boot and head emergence will optimize both tonnage and quality.
Delaying harvest past head emergence may lead to more tonnage at the expense of quality, but windrows will dry down sooner. One field trial near Lubbock, Texas, looked at six hay timings from early boot to firm dough. At early boot the hay had 18.4% crude protein, at fully headed it was 13.9%, and at firm dough it was 8.7%. But the tonnage doubled from early boot to firm dough.
Field research from Kansas State University conducted near Hutchinson, Kansas, showed an average hay forage yield of 4 tons per acre amongst the 20 different varieties studied. These hay yields were obtained with 75 pounds of nitrogen applied preplant and an additional 50 pounds applied approximately six weeks after emergence. If used for cover, seeding rates can be slightly reduced if the goal is to simply protect the soil from blowing.
If the goal of the cover is to prevent soil water evaporation or even to shade out weeds, then seeding rates should not be reduced. If a summer crop is desired, producers need to terminate the oats once stems have elongated but before head development. The crop will start to use more water once it reaches the reproductive growth stages. There are some broadleaf herbicide options for spring-planted oats. These include some Group 4, Phenoxy/Auxin, products such as 2,4-D, dicamba, and MCPA, as well as some Group 2, ALS, products, such as Glean, Harmony – SG and Xtra – and Peak.
Other broadleaf options include some pre-mixed products, such as Bromoxynil 2 + 2,4- D, Wildcard Xtra, Carnivore, Orion, Sentrallas, Supremacy, and Trump Card. Unfortunately, there are not many herbicide options for grass control. Callisto is labeled for crabgrass control if it’s less than three inches. Callisto may result in temporary crop injury.
Producers wanting to learn more about spring-planted oats should contact their local OSU Extension office. More information can also be found in the OSU factsheet PSS2160 “Spring-planted Oat for Grazing or Hay Production.” Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service is implied.
I hope you find this article helpful when considering spring planting of forage crops.
Sherry Clark is the new Cherokee County OSU Extension ag and 4-H educator.
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