Rhodes Grass Hay good for cattle?Strategies for a better product

At Saremco Agri Commodities, we provide the best Rhodes hay, which is soft-textured, palatable, and high-fiber grass, which is idea for maintaining energy levels, weight control, and digestive health.In this post, we will highlight key points such as strategies for growing Rhodes grass and effective production management.

What is Rhodes Grass hay?

This is a potential grass that grows in the summer season that providing a balanced nutrient with moderate protein, essential minerals, and high Fiber. It is good for all age groups of dairy animals. Rhodes grass is best for tropical grass in tropical and sub-tropical countries. It is important for hay and pasture, very productive, water-resistant, and highquality. It is also available in agricultural countries, especially for animal feed for farm cattle and horses etc. It has carbohydrates and proteins that is basic for intakes.

Cultivation of Rhodes Grass

To cultivate Rhodes grass, you need to prepare land with a pH of 6-8, now sow seeds at a rate of 6-8 kg/acre in Feb to Oct. Now farmers can use urea and other basic fertilizers of DA at sowing, similarly, add urea after every cut. Irrigate consistently to manage moisture and harvest duration is 50 days and then harvest every 30 days.

Prepare the land

  • Select an area with full sunlight
  • Need to plough the soil deeply to create a crumbly and fine seedbed
  • As mentioned above, make surethe pH is in the range of 6-7.5
  • Adjust the level and even irrigation is required

Seed selection & sowing

  • Seeds must be certified
  • Sow it at 6-8 kg / acre
  • Deeper than 1 cm
  • Fertilizer for a better distribution&for broadcasting, mix seeds with sawdust.
  • Favourable sowing time is from Feb-Oct 

Fertilization

  • Apply 1 to 1.5 bags of urea and 1 bag of DAP in this period.
  • Apply 1–2 bags of urea after each cut for regrowth.
  • To increase stem and leaf production must add nitrogen and phosphorus.

Irrigation and weed control

  • Irrigate after sowing to help with germination.
  • After a week of its establishment, the soil is maintained with proper irrigation.
  • Need to clean the feed area regularly.

Harvesting

  • Use a mower for cutting the grass.
  • Cutting must be at 4 inches at the first stage
  • At the first stage, harvest in 50 days and then 30 days after each interval.
  • Now dry it for baling
  • It is produced in at least 3 years

Key Uses

  • Livestock Feed
  • Forage
  • Supplement
  • Improved Livestock Health

How can farmers enhance production?

In this era of technology, farmers can enhance production, optimize their time & resources, and secure the future of their business. They need to use some strategies as mentioned in this post.

  • Strategy1-To bridge the gap, diversify your land, area or farmhouse

Depends on the location of the farm, check planting both summer and winter season. No need to mix feed in the same pasture unless experiencing dormancy as an alternate option in the growing season. Summer or winter planting should be separate. It is like some warm-season grass, like Endura Rhodes and Megamax059.You can prepare your land in summer season and winter season is on the rest period if you have ability build moisture to support grass in cold season. You can also call it annual feed. The best feed is green growing feed. But it is difficult in some environment to manage the feed. The right feed is growing actively; however, it is not available whole year. As per research, Rhodes grass is growing actively in summer season.

 

  • Strategy 2 – Annual Winter Feed: For farmers and produces you need to produce grass in summer season, they may extend it annually. It works well when reliable rainfall is expected.At the start of the summer season, once the grass dies, and then grows again. Regrowth provides healthy feed that also improves quality.
  • Strategy 3 – Summer Annual Feed: If you consider quick-growing summer annual feed like Sustain LS or Nudan,which provides critical reserves of feed in a few farming operations. It is also called a quick finishing pasture with key products like Rhodes grass hay. Now farmer can do it in summer season, the cost of planting and harvesting is less than buying hay to fulfill the requirements.
  • Strategy 4 – Feed Budgeting: It is affordable feed item compared to other commercial feed products- late season spelling or rotational grazing is a perfect method to implement the process.

Rhodes Hay for healthy horses – High-Fiber, Low-Sugar Forage

Rhodes grass hay best grass that provides a nutrient option for all types of horses, including those with digestive issues, laminitis risk, and metabolic concerns. It is suitable and ideal for horses due to the following reasons.

✔️ High in Fiber
✔️ Soft & Palatable
✔️ Low Sugar & Starch
✔️ Moderate Protein Levels
✔️ Slow-Release Energy