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Bluestem · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 169 Location: N. Texas

I'm going to blow my horn for sustainable Ag. I just win Grand Champion hay at my county hay show following the recommendations in this forum. You can do it too.

Gar · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 533 Location: Lavon,Texas

Bluestem,
Congrats on your win. That is proof that orgaincs are truely the way to go. Now you just have to convince the others to go organic also.

khwoz · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 776 Location: Weatherford,TX

:?: Could you give us any tips? :D Congradulations!! :!:

Tony M · Joined: 31 Mar 2003 Posts: 1088 Location: McKinney,TEXAS

Bluestem-
Congrats. I'm not familar with such a judging event, could you tell us a little more about it. Is the hay put under a microscope? How do they judge it and what are the criteria? What kind is it and what are you doing with it?
Thanks,
Tony

Gar · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 533 Location: Lavon,Texas

Yes please, tell us more about it. How were you awarded the first place finish and how is the judging done?

Kathe Kitchens · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 829 Location: Dallas,TX

HOOORRRRAAAAAYYYYY!! for you Bluestem! BIG SCORE FOR OUR SIDE!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: WAY TO GO!! 8) 8) So don't hold back; share all, spill your guts! There are many people who are waiting for your information! This includes my brother-in-law who is pondering raising organic hay in his newly acquired fields. Share your wisdom, please!!! What kind was it? What fertilizer(s) did you use? How often? What methods & how often did you water? We want all the details! We are SO proud of you!

Gar · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 533 Location: Lavon,Texas

For you people that are new to this forum, thats Kathe, our "Organic Cheerleader". We are all happy for your winning first place and being organic. Maybe the 2nd & 3rd place finishers will think about becoming totally organic as well.
We're all waiting for the answers to the previous posted questions.

Bluestem · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 169 Location: N. Texas

Thanks all. I am proud of my big fancy belt buckle! I'll try to answer everyone questions, but if I miss something, let me know. First, the judging. Hay is judged on the following- Texture, more leave, less stem. Maturity, grass actively growing has more protein, quality drops with age. Weeds, none is best. Color, least important, but a sun bleached hay may lose some quality. I personally use smell also but I was not a judge. The hay is also tested for protein. Mine tested at 20.6. Grass type was common bermuda. 10 years ago the pasture was full of grass bur and prickly pear. I burned it off in then fall and planted clover. Its had clover on it since. Last fall I put cows and chickens on it, they were on it all winter. Weight gain was very good. The cows were taken off in late spring. And I sprayed liquid BIO, black strap and AGGrand 4-3-3. I did this to speed up the break down of the manure. The hay was cut with the judging standards in mine. I am always trying something new, had a few experiments that did not work this year. But I'm refining them. Again if I missed something let me know.

Gar · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 533 Location: Lavon,Texas

Bluestem,
Thanks for your answers. Looks like all your hard work, along with being organic paid off in a big way. Keep it up and get 1st place next year again.

Kathe Kitchens · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 829 Location: Dallas,TX

Thanks for all the great information. I'll pass it on to my bro-in-law, who is waiting for me to get back to him. Hey, Gar, are you makin' fun of me? :D :roll: That's okay, I'll accept your poke in the ribs 'cause you're just as much a cheerleader as me! I'll be braggin' on you, Bluestem!

Gar · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 533 Location: Lavon,Texas

Kathe,
No not making fun, just promoting you to the rest of the community. :D
PS: Hope your bro-in-law has the same results as Bluestem. All the cheerleading and campaigning is paying off. Maybe the chemical community will wake up and realize that organics are much better and healthier. Then we will have a much better world to live in and turn over to our children when we are gone.
Enough soap box time!!

Dchall_San_Antonio · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 2002 Location: San Antonio,TEXAS

What rates per acre did you spray? I'm thinking about a gallon per acre.

Bluestem · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 169 Location: N. Texas

I sprayed one quart/acre of BIO with humis, one gallon/acre of AGGrand 4-3-3 Fish and Seaweed, I'm not convinced that large quanities of sugar in the soil is good, so a pint/acre of Black Strap. Your soils have to be in good shape. I have found that foliar spraying alone will not help correct poor soils.

Dchall_San_Antonio · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 2002 Location: San Antonio,TEXAS

The reason I guessed a gallon of molasses per acre was that a cotton farmer up in the Panhandle is spraying his no-till, no irrigated, cotton with 1 gal per acre, 4 times per season. He is the only farmer in the area with micorrhyzal (sp) fungi helping him keep the roots moist. He has figured out that the savings from not irrigating or keeping any of the irrigation equipment has saved him more than enough to make up for the profit differences from having only slightly less crop than the chemical sprayers and irrigators.

Brad Watson · Joined: 16 Mar 2003 Posts: 33 Location: Tyler, Texas

We usually place in the top ten in the Wood Co. hay show every year. It is the oldest hay show in the nation. All we use is organic and have for the past ten years. But it is hard to get others to go with the organic program.... they want a one time cure all for years of chemical abuse. It is a program and depending on the soil it might only take one application or it might be several years to turn it around.
www.watsonranchorganic.com