[AT] OT; Seed Oats

[Ralph Goff]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <toma at risingnet.net>
To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 12:57 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] OT; Seed Oats


> Out here in CA we plant CA Red Oats for hay. It can grow real tall in
> good ground but the best "horse hay" is when it is 30" or less as it
> can tend to get coarse.
.
> It was only $28 cwt this year. There is always a lot of seed on the
> ground after cutting hay. I think next year I am going to overseed
> with vetch and disc it dry and hope for a volunteer crop. I am tired
> of searching for seed and buying it for a high price.
>
> A couple of years ago an old timer told me of an oat he used to plant.
> It was called Texas Black Oats. He said they would plant it here and
> it would turn out like the red oats. It may have been the forerunner
> of CA Red.


Volounteer oats worked out good for me this past summer. After straight 
cutting the oats on 08 I guesss there were enough oats shelled out on the 
ground that it produced a good stand of volounteer oats. I left about ten 
acres of it standing, cut it green in Sept. and baled it. Made some pretty 
good hay and the cattle seem to clean it up. Zero cost for seed, fertilizer 
or chemical.
"Black oats" sound to me like what we call wild oats here. They are a weed 
and millions of dollars are spent every year trying to eliminate them from 
the cash crops. People used to try and cut them before heading so they would 
not produce seed. Then bale them for hay but it was not the greatest hay 
either.

Ralph in Sask.