I’ve been using SucraSEED since 2008 on my farm in Tillamook OR. Every time my cows get onto a field with High Sugar Grasses, they go to town, and I’m not talking just the way they love to eat the stuff, it’s making a big difference in their milk yields.
Immediately after grazing an HSG field I see a 1,000# increase in milk production, that’s a 4# bonus for every one of my 250 herd. I don’t care so much about the yield claims on different varieties or species, if the cows won’t eat it, it’s meaningless. But if my cows like it – I like it. Now that they’re producing more milk – I like it even more!
Joe Jenck
Jenck Farms
Tillamook, OR
Just to let you know my new planting of Pasture Sweet’ner, which has been under 5 feet of water for three or more days twice this winter, is growing better than my previous established Ryegrasses.
My established Pasture Sweet’ner planting from last spring is growing better than the other grasses around it.
Pasture Sweet’ner seems to emerge earlier in my environment than what I’ve been using in the past. I will keep you updated!
Jeff
Aspen Hollow Sheep Station
Redmond, WA
I wish I had taken pictures of my new pastures 2 weeks ago. We just took off the second hay crop from those fields and they were BEAUTIFUL…
Even my neighbors were stopping to say ‘Your hay sure looks good’. Big tall grasses with tons and tons of big heads of clover with huge leaves. It was a very pretty sight. Went across the fields with the water and just turned the cows into one of the fields yesterday. They’re in ‘hog heaven!’. So full they won’t even go to water…they go drink out of the sprinklers!!! Big lazy fatsos!
I have one more field to do this next spring at the home place and one more at my other place, then we’ll have SucraSEED totally on both places. I’ll send some pictures of the big fat cows and calves. We are SOLD on this grass seed!
Judy
Milton Freewater, OR
Fall pasture management is a key factor that will determine how a pasture performs the following Spring. This 3rd year SucraSEED pasture in Southeast Iowa was nearly grazed to the dirt late last Fall.
Unlike most tall fescue, orchardgrass and brome grass based pastures with stiff, unpalatable crowns, the high sugar grasses have soft crowns that livestock will graze to the ground if not managed properly. When I looked at this pasture in early May, it appeared that less than 10% of the HSG Perennial had survived the winter.
Today’s pasture inspection revealed that much more of the HSG perennial had survived that I thought. This can be attributed to the high levels of carbohydrates stored in the crown and roots of SucraSEED’s High Sugar Grasses. The farmer was just getting ready to take his 3rd hay cutting then plans to drill Pasture Sweet’ner into the stubble.
Brent
Fairfield, IA
AberDart HSG has survived for three years now in the upper peninsula of Michigan! It appears that the key to winter survival is to maintain a minimum of 3 inches of stubble heading into winter and then make sure to wait a little while after Spring growth begins before grazing.
It seems that the HSG varieties are one of the first grasses to start growing and as a result people turn the animals in to graze before the plant has been able to restore the carbs consumed over the winter.
“I rated the High Sugar Ryegrass stands today and looks pretty good. I was surprised to see these High Sugar Perennial Ryegrasses survived the third winter here in the UP. Amazing!”
Dr. Doo-Hong Min
Michigan State University
Pasture Sweet’ner grown for silage in the Willamette Valley.
Wet weather prevented cutting for a week, but still looks to be excellent feed for Volbeda Dairy in Albany Oregon.
