We grow Meadow Foxtail for seed. We had a bit of a crop failure this year as one of the strips of cardboard we used to block of air to the combine fan came off and a lot of the light fluffy seed went out the back of the combine. Pretty stupid mistake as the stuff is worth like $4/lb.
I think we have the last remaining field in the USA.
The OSU fact sheet kind of puts it down as a good quality forage crop but I disagree. It does very well in wet fields and it ripens sooner than any other grass. I've seen a lot of hay labeled "German Timothy" that was actually Meadow Foxtail.
If you have a little irrigation you can get your first cutting at the end of May, hit it with a little water and in July get a beautiful field of hay that is mostly green leaves. The horse ladies go nuts over this sort of hay.
I should arm myself with good propaganda on the subject and start frequenting horse forums promoting the crop. I wonder if I could get an article in a hay magazine. I could just make a bunch of crap up and if I wrote a good cover letter I could probably get it published.
I should start talking about how good it is on NAT.
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Is it anything like the native fox-tail? We have a fox-tail that grows around here that seems to like field edges. The seeds were supposedly used for flour by the Indians.
ReplyDeleteHmmm Does well in wet fields?
ReplyDeleteSounds way too much like the wild foxtail (foxtail barley) that we have here. Its a bad weed and a patch of foxtail will bring a swather or combine knife to a thundering halt if we don't notice it in time to slow down. Yes, it does very well in wet muddy soil but cattle won't touch it. I guess I'd grow it if I could get $4 a pound for the seed though.
ReplyDeleteGorges and Ralph, Meadow Foxtail is a grass with a long seed head. Seeds are light and fluffy. It looks very similar to Timothy but matures sooner and the leaves are darker in color. Foxtail barley is different. I want the $4/pound so that you can have good hay! Because I care. It is for the children!
ReplyDeleteMuddy, you already have it. But you would need pontoons to harvest it.
Bedde shepard, I am interested in Meadow fox seed need info R Turner
ReplyDelete