Good rain in the south east may be prompting many cattle producers to plant grazing oats in anticipation of good winter feed. However, Pacific Seeds’ Forage Crop Business Manager Ken Reimers is calling for producers to consider a sweet forage sorghum instead due to higher soil temperatures in February.
“Although some oats varieties, such as Taipan and Drover will germinate and establish in soil temperatures up to 29°C, February soil temperatures can be much higher and precious oat seed should be planted when it has a much greater chance of optimum crop establishment,” he said.
Regardless of warnings about poor seedling germination and emergence under high soil temperatures, Mr Reimers said it has become regular practice over recent years to plant oats on the first decent rainfall in February.
”Even if establishment is affected to some extent growers reason that when follow up rain falls, the early oats are far ahead of crops planted on the second rain.”
“This is OK in years when oat seed is plentiful and resultant establishment failures can be readily replanted, but the record dry winter throughout eastern Australia last year has seen oat seed in very limited supply, so failures this season will be all but impossible to replant.” This is the key reason Pacific Seeds is urging sweet forage sorghum over oats on the February plant.
“A much safer option should rain fall in early to mid February is to plant a sweet forage sorghum such as Sugargraze,” Mr Reimers said. “It loves the hot weather and in such conditions will produce first feed faster than oats. If left run to head it also provides high energy winter standover feed or quality silage due to the high soluble sugar levels in the stems.”
“I am not suggesting you plant Sugargraze instead of oats, but on a very early plant, into hot soils, forage sorghum is a much safer option.”
