2011 - Volume #35, Issue #2, Page #25
[ Sample Stories From This Issue | List of All Stories In This Issue | Print this story
| Read this issue]
Replacement Heifers Love His Soybean Forage
 |
"We get a lot of strange looks when our soybeans are so tall," admits Schwarz, who farms with his father, Kenton, in Northwest Missouri. And, when corn is intermingled in the beans, passersby likely question their farming skills as well. But soybeans have worked perfectly to feed their dairy replacement heifers for the past 15 years.
"A lot of beef guys in this area are doing the same thing. Local farmers planted four semi loads of seed last spring," Schwarz says.
They purchased the seed, a non-GMO variety, from Arkansas. By growing seed intended for a warmer climate and planting a dense population, the beans grow taller with smaller stems as the plants reach up to compete for sunlight. Planted at 300,000 seeds per acre, harvest - after flowering when the first soft pods form - yields about 5 tons of dry matter/acre.
"We needed higher quality forage than corn silage provided," says Schwarz. "Soybean silage is about the same as medium quality alfalfa."
Growing soybeans is economical and allows the Missouri farmer to double crop. He plants triticale in the fall, harvests it in early May, and plants soybeans for mid-August harvest.
"We have about a 2-week window to harvest," Schwarz says, explaining if you wait too long the plant starts to get woody from the bottom up. It can be cut higher to avoid the woody base, but that means less tonnage.
The Gower, Mo., farmer chops, then stores the forage in upright silos and wrapped bales. It would be very difficult to dry for hay, he adds, and many of the nutrients would be lost.
Soybeans have less input costs than corn since they don't require nitrogen and have higher feed value at 15 to 20 percent protein. They yield tonnage similar to corn. Most importantly, cattle love the bean silage. Many farmers mix it 50/50 with hay or other forages.
With expected higher prices, Schwarz figures he'll spend about $40 for two bags of seed/acre this year, and he'll still come out ahead. He has experimented with adding 15,000 to 20,000 kernels of corn/acre to further increase the tonnage.
Specific varieties have been developed for forage. In his experience, Schwarz believes that many varieties will work. Just select one intended for zones south of your location. Choosing non-GMO varieties saves money, and early use of chemicals to start weed-free is all that's necessary as the plants come up thick and shade out weed competition. Most farmers in his area tolerate some weeds in the mix.
"Overall soybeans are an economic forage crop to raise. It's a pretty versatile crop that's been overlooked," Schwarz says.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kenton and Ray Schwarz, 764 N.W. Schwarz Rd., Gower, Mo. 64454 (ph 816 930-1200 or 816 539-3939; schwarzweis1@juno.com).
Click here to download page story appeared in.
Click here to read entire issue
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
