Results of feeding kudzu hay

DamnearaFarm · #41 09/17/10, 11:12 AM

Sorry, Southerngurl- I thought you'd said you were going to train it on a cattle panel so they could eat from both sides.... now where on earth did I get THAT information?

CaliannG · #42 09/17/10, 11:32 AM

In the early 1900's, the government was *paying* people to spread kudzu all over their fields for "erosion prevention and livestock feed". This continue on through the first full third of the century, and kudzu was propagated from the East Coast to the Great Plains.

Yet, Atlanta is still a city; it has not fallen to the great Kudzu Beast. It has not managed to destroy the sugar maple forests in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Yes, it is invasive. Mint is also invasive, and spread much more easily than kudzu. Lots of things are very invasive.

I have mint in my garden and I have managed to not allow it to take over the entire property, nor the neighbor's pasture.

I realize some people feel very strongly about this plant. Yes, left unattended and unchecked, it WILL cover things like the *abandoned* house in that picture. However, if a person's particular state and county laws allow it (many states have made it illegal to propagate kudzu, but just as many have not), I don't see any reason why anyone should start acting like someone who wishes to try out a test patch of the stuff is on the same level as a person who is attempting to open the Gates of Hell and invite the Anti-Christ into the world.

If it was SO uncontrollable, why aren't ALL of our houses buried in the stuff?

Sonshine · #43 09/17/10, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliannG

In the early 1900's, the government was *paying* people to spread kudzu all over their fields for "erosion prevention and livestock feed". This continue on through the first full third of the century, and kudzu was propagated from the East Coast to the Great Plains.

Yet, Atlanta is still a city; it has not fallen to the great Kudzu Beast. It has not managed to destroy the sugar maple forests in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Yes, it is invasive. Mint is also invasive, and spread much more easily than kudzu. Lots of things are very invasive.

I have mint in my garden and I have managed to not allow it to take over the entire property, nor the neighbor's pasture.

I realize some people feel very strongly about this plant. Yes, left unattended and unchecked, it WILL cover things like the *abandoned* house in that picture. However, if a person's particular state and county laws allow it (many states have made it illegal to propagate kudzu, but just as many have not), I don't see any reason why anyone should start acting like someone who wishes to try out a test patch of the stuff is on the same level as a person who is attempting to open the Gates of Hell and invite the Anti-Christ into the world.

If it was SO uncontrollable, why aren't ALL of our houses buried in the stuff?

Exactly. I live in middle Georgia. In the areas that are not developed kudzu grows over everything, yet in the residential areas and even the rural areas that have farms, no problem with kudzu taking over. I have actually been considering growing some for goats. Goats will keep it controlled, and if for some strange reason they don't, I know how to use a lawn mower.

CaliannG · #44 09/17/10, 02:55 PM

My usual haphazard research has uncovered a couple of articles from University of Illinois and Dart University that says overgrazing kills kudzu. Nearly the only thing that WILL, but it seems kudzu doesn't like a bunch of goats and horses munching all of its leaves. (Sheep may or may not like kudzu, and cattle pretty much dislike it.)

I went wandering out in my woods looking for what sorts of vines I have. I found, in order from least to most:

Kudzu
Wild Grape
Catbrier (A.K.A saw greenbrier)

Seems the Catbrier is choking nearly everything else out, including growing over a couple of the mature Sugarberry trees. Fire doesn't even kill the stuff.

All in all, I think I would have preferred the kudzu getting out of hand. At least THAT stuff doesn't have thorns. My DH refers to the Catbrier as "bio-barbed wire".

Although Catbrier is VERY invasive, it's not listed as a noxious weed because it is a native species.

Oh, more haphazard research finds that Kudzu is not on the Federal Noxious Weed list, although Mesquite is. ( Can I get in trouble for NOT killing all the Mesquite on my place? It's not that I like the stuff, there is simply too much of it to control easily and I have to take time to do other things...such as, oh, eat, sleep, that sort of stuff.)

Kudzu is also not on the State lists for Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Virginia. (According to the USDA State list.) In some states where it IS classified as a noxious weed, the laws are rather odd. In my state, Texas, it is classified as a noxious weed (although Mesquite isn't, probably because no one wants to take the time to try to eradicate the stuff.), however, according to the laws here on noxious weeds, I can GROW and PROPAGATE as much of the stuff as I want, as long as I get it from INSIDE the state. What I can't do is import it, or sell it.

However, if I happen to have a field full of the stuff and it's starting to die back, I *can* legally re-seed it, as long as I don't import the seeds from out of state.

~sighs~ If I get enough seeds, I wonder if I can spread them out in my woods and maybe the stuff will choke out the Catbrier?

southerngurl · #45 09/17/10, 03:41 PM

We have a couple of those multiflora rose plants I think. Well we used to, I bet the goats have killed them by now.

CaliannG · #46 09/17/10, 04:23 PM

Once I got looking, I found quite a bit of sad-looking, single stem, short little kudzu plants (about a foot high) that had grown off of runner roots. I dug one up, cleaned the hard pan clay out of its poor, dehydrated little root system, and stuck it in a glass of RO water in which I added a small handful of worm castings.

It has a total of three living leaves on it. It is currently on an East-facing window sill.

We shall see about that foot-a-day growth thing.

(Now, I know why it was not growing well in the soil. The only soil it DISLIKES is hard-pan clay, which we have the most of in this county. The ENTIRE county was completely burned out in the late forties and early fifties due to poor agricultural practices. This used to all be nothing but corn fields and cotton fields...now it barely supports Bermuda grass.)

farmmom · #47 09/17/10, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliannG

My usual haphazard research has uncovered a couple of articles from University of Illinois and Dart University that says overgrazing kills kudzu. Nearly the only thing that WILL, but it seems kudzu doesn't like a bunch of goats and horses munching all of its leaves. (Sheep may or may not like kudzu, and cattle pretty much dislike it.)

The father of the man I bought the kudzu hay from is a retired dairy man. His cows apparently loved this stuff!! He said they got out into the kudzu field one day and they didn't want to leave!!

TSYORK · #48 09/17/10, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmmom

The father of the man I bought the kudzu hay from is a retired dairy man. His cows apparently loved this stuff!! He said they got out into the kudzu field one day and they didn't want to leave!!

My grandpa used to give his milk cow some kudzu every now and then. He said on the days he did, she would POUR milk like a faucet!

tnroadkill · #49 09/18/10, 09:50 AM

one little sprig of kudzu would grow over and fill up grand canyon in a couple of years

KSALguy · #50 09/18/10, 03:17 PM

yep cows love it, there is no Kudzu in any of the cow pastures anywhere around here, it will mound up just out of reach on the other side of the fence but wont go into the cows long toung reach,

saanengirl · #51 09/18/10, 03:58 PM

Kudzu is fairly difficult to propagate, but once it is established it spreads quickly and is difficult to kill due to the extensive root systems. It is still a valuable plant for controlling erosion on roadsides. We have done some kudzu research at my university with both sheep and goats.

Beulah Gardens · #52 09/18/10, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmmom

I paid $4/bale in comparison to the $15-20/bale that alfalfa sells for around here, with better results.

How big of a bale and why so much??? does alfalfa not grow well in your area?
Around here alfalfa is the main type of hay sold, this yr I paid $70 a ton. It is grass hay that I have a hard time finding.... funny how regions are so vastly different.

DamnearaFarm · #53 09/18/10, 09:00 PM

Alfalfa does well in arid and semi-arid areas due to the extensive root system. Not so well in our soil and environment in the south. In NM, we were buying alfalfa for seven fifty-eight bucks a bale. Grass hay was 9-11. Here, alfalfa is 10-13 a bale with grass 1.50-3 a bale.
Amazing, isn't it?

farmmom · #54 09/19/10, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beulah Gardens

How big of a bale and why so much??? does alfalfa not grow well in your area?
Around here alfalfa is the main type of hay sold, this yr I paid $70 a ton. It is grass hay that I have a hard time finding.... funny how regions are so vastly different.

This is for 55-60lb square bales. I believe most of the alfalfa is imported from Michigan. I know my step-dad buys the ton bales for $250, and considers it a good deal. I'd love to see it at $70/ton!!

motdaugrnds · #55 09/19/10, 11:04 AM

I'm in Virginia and hay is terribly expensive now. I would like to have some growing here (between fences like southerngurl) as I did our lespedeza shrubs that way and they make a wonderful contribution to goat nutrition.

I am wondering, since Kudzo is a vine, if one might bury something a few inches into the earth and a few inches above the earth to serve as a barrier/containment.

CaliannG · #56 09/19/10, 02:38 PM

farmmom, maybe the guy at U of I just knew some really dumb cows, while your friend's father had *smart* cows.

Alfalfa hay is going for $10-$14 a square bale here. It was $8.50 a square bale where I lived in Colorado. Grass hay is going for $4-$8 a bale here.

I would love to have some kudzu hay.

Creamers · #57 09/19/10, 02:48 PM

If I had to buy bales for even $4 - I'd have to sell every animal I have - lol.

CaliannG · #58 09/19/10, 02:53 PM

And this, Creamers, is why I am grateful that I have 8 acres of pasture and 2 acres of assorted woods and weeds.

The bags of alfalfa pellets are $7.65. Those are generally what we get due to the lack of waste.

farmmom · #59 09/19/10, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliannG

And this, Creamers, is why I am grateful that I have 8 acres of pasture and 2 acres of assorted woods and weeds.

The bags of alfalfa pellets are $7.65. Those are generally what we get due to the lack of waste.

Here they're about $14/50lb

Our Little Farm · #60 09/19/10, 07:36 PM

Same here farmmom, and grass hay is about $4-$5 a bale this year.