Albert Lea Seed House 2018 Farm Seed Guide

Other Forage Legumes Alsike Clover* Non-spreading winter-hardy legume that can persist 1-3 years. Very tolerant of occasional flooding and poorly drained soils. White or pale pink blossom. Best Use: Best suited for pastures or silage mixes. Good choice for cover cropping. Adaptations: Performs best on wetter ground. Alsike clover will grow in moist and acid soils (down to pH of 5.0). Requirements: Can be difficult to dry and should not be used in horse pastures. Do not cut or graze closer than 2 inches. Avoid droughty soils. Introduce grazing animals to alsike-heavy pastures slowly to avoid bloat. Planting Date: February – May, July 15th - August 30th. Can be frost-seeded Seeding: 1-3 lbs/acre in a mix, 6-10 lbs/acre for a cover crop. Drill or broadcast and roll. Plant ¼ in. deep Conventional Uncertified_________$3.60/lb $180/50 lb bag Organic Uncertified_____________$3.60/lb $180/50 lb bag Organic Alsike + 7% YB Sweet______$2.20/lb $110/50 lb bag Birdsfoot Trefoil* A deep-rooted, winter-hardy perennial legume with yellow blossoms. Does not cause bloat when grazed. It stockpiles well, holding onto its leaves at maturity better than clovers and alfalfa. Good N fixer. Excellent use for permanent pasture. Allow self-seeding every 3 years to maintain stand life. Best Use: Grazing or long-term pasture. Good cover plant for roadsides, ditches and wildlife. Adaptations: Tolerant of poorly drained, saline, acid or alkaline soils. Requirements: Slow establishment and potential invasive habits. Challenging to dry and harvest for hay. Planting Date: February – May, July 15th – August 30th. Can be frost-seeded. Seeding: 2-4 lbs/acre in a mix, 6-10 lbs/acre straight. Drill or broadcast and roll. Plant ¼ in. deep. Conventional Uncertified_________ $4.20/lb $ 210/50 lb bag Brassicas Brassicas are generally used to lengthen the grazing season. All have highly digestible cell walls and very high protein levels. Graze brassicas carefully; too much intake can cause health problems in cattle. Allow livestock time to adjust a change in diet. Brassicas are excellent for cover cropping. High dry matter productio n both above and below ground builds organic matter in the soil (see cover crop section). Brassicas are also very attractive to deer for food plots Forage Kale* The best cold tolerance of the brassicas with a survival tolerance down to 10° F. High feed quality; will compare favorably with alfalfa as pasturage. Kale is very leafy and will produce high yields far into late fall/ early winter. Excellent for cattle and sheep grazing. Ready to graze in 110-150 days Planting Date: May to August. Seeding: 4-5lbs/acre, ¼ to ½ inch deep. ____________________________ $4/lb $200/50 lb bag Kura Clover* An extremely persistent, spreading, perennial legume. Unique among clovers, it has an extensive rhizome system allowing it to vegetatively propagate itself and stand up to heavy field traffic and frequent intensive grazing. Best Use: Excellent in high-use pastures; living mulch Adaptations: Well drained, fertile soils. Requirements: Very slow to establish (2-3 years). Do not seed with nurse crop. Weed pressure must be managed for 2-3 years until stand is established. Avoid droughty, shallow soils. Do not intensively graze past Sept. 1st. Planting Date: April 15th - June 1st, July 15th - Aug. 15th Seeding: 6 lbs/acre straight. Broadcast or drill. Plant ¼ - ½ in. deep. Conventional Uncertified (LIMITED SUPPLY) ___ ASK Sanfoin* Deep rooted, drought resistant legume with hollow stem and many leaflets. Not as winter hardy as alfalfa. Non-bloating, excellent quality and palatability. Best use as pasture and/or single-cut hay crop. Intolerant to flooding, wet soils. Retains leaves and quality well at bloom. Best Use: Dryland grazing crop or pasture species Adaptations: Well suited for drier soils Requirements: Do not exceed 1 cutting for hay in a season. Avoid wet or poorly drained soils. Planting Date: March – April Seeding: 2-5 lbs/acre in a mix, 30-40 lbs/acre straight. Drill or broadcast and roll. Plant ¼ - ½ in. deep Conventional Uncertified___________$2.80/lb $ 140/50 lb bag Crimson Clover* See page 45 for full description Conventional Uncertified___________$1.20/lb $ 60/50 lb bag Organic Uncertified_______________$3.30/lb $1 65/50 lb bag Forage Rape A succulent plant related to cabbage, which makes excellent forage for hogs, sheep, and young stock. Can be grazed multiple times and persists well after the first frost. Should be ready to pasture in 6 to 8 weeks. Will rarely overwinter in Upper Midwest. Best Use: Ready to graze or chop in 80-95 days. Supplement perennial cool season pastures in August and September or interseed warm season grasses to improve their feed quality. Requirements: Keep it cut or grazed down so it doesn’t get tall and woody. Can blister white pigs. Planting Date: Early spring until August. Seeding: 3lbs/acre, 1-3 lbs in a mix. ¼ inch deep Dwarf Essex Rape • _Highly palatable and nutritious, excellent protein Conventional_________________$0.90/lb $45/50 lb bag Barsica Forage Rape • Tall variety with high yields and resistance to lodging • Resistant to powdery mildew, improving _palatability Conventional_________________$1.59/lb $39.75/25 lb bag Crown Vetch* Cool-season, spreading perennial legume with pink flowers often used as permanent ground cover on hillsides and ditches. Very aggressive once established. Best Use: Permanent cover and erosion prevention on hillsides, ditches and other disturbance projects. Adaptations: Prefers well-drained soils, but can tolerate acidic and shallow, low fertility soils. Requirements: Invasive habits once established. Will outcompete other desired species. Forage quality and suitability for livestock unknown. Planting Date: February – April Seeding:15-20 lbs/acre or 1 lb/1000 ft 2 . Broadcast or drill. Plant ¼ - ½ in. deep Conventional Uncertified (LIMITED SUPPLY) ___ $22/lb White Blossom Sweet Clover* A tall-growing, biennial legume used mainly by bee keepers for its abundant white blossoms and high nectar content. Later maturing than yellow blossom sweet clover. Best Use: Bee forage Adaptations: Prefers well-drained soils Requirements: Avoid acidic soils. Can become a volunteer weed if allowed to set seed. Planting Range: February – April Seeding: 8-12 lbs/acre. Broadcast or drill. Plant ¼ to ½ in. deep. Conventional Uncertified___________$4.40/lb $ 220/50 lb bag Frosty Berseem Clover See page 45 for full description Conventional Uncertified___________$2.60/lb $ 130/50 lb bag Organic Uncertified_______________$7.20/lb $ 360/50 lb bag Balansa Clover* See page 45 for full description Conventional Uncertified___________$2.40/lb $ 120/50 lb bag Forage Turnips Hardy, large rooted brassica that produces abundant high quality forage below and above ground. Roots grow about ½ out of the ground and are high energy feed with 85% TDN and 10% protein. They have been pastured successfully with up to a foot of snow. Can yield up to 4 to 6 tons an acre of dry matter. Best Use: Ready to graze in 60-90 days Requirements: 50-100 lbs. N and medium rates of K and P for best results. Planting Date: May to August. Seeding: Seed 2-3lbs/acre, ¼ to ½ inch deep Purple Top Turnips • Most common variety in US • Good choice for low fertility ground Conventional________________ $1.50/lb $75/50 lb bag Organic____________________ $2.40/lb $120/50 lb bag Barkant Turnip • Improved variety- 50% more dry matter than purple _ top turnip and almost 5x leaf production • Ideally suited for grazing with sheep and cattle Conventional_________________$2.35/lb $58.75/25 lb bag Clover & Legumes 37

Albert Lea Seed House 2018 Farm Seed Guide | Page 37