Helping you get through summer

If you are farming in a warmer part of the country, Bettagraze and Super Sweet Sudan (SSS) are great options as a December planted crop. They’re high-yielding, drought-tolerant and deliver great yields of moderate-quality feed quickly.

In warm weather, the time from planting to the first grazing (at 80-100 cm in height) can be as little as 35-45 days. These crops are flexible as they can either be directly grazed (2-4 grazings per season), cut for silage or baled for hay.

Bettagraze is a forage sorghum x sudan-grass hybrid that offers rapid early growth and quick recovery from grazing or cutting. A larger seed means Bettagraze can be planted into the moisture zone allowing good establishment even in dry seedbeds.

Super Sweet Sudan (SSS) is a sudan x sudan-grass hybrid with super-fine stems and a prolific tillering habit. Highly palatable, with fine leaves and stems, SSS is an excellent choice for silage and hay.

Tips for achieving high forage sorghum/sudan yields:

• Plant in warm growing environments only. Bettagraze and SSS are most suited to areas north of Hamilton, although they can be successfully grown in warm micro-climates in other parts of the country.
• Choose paddocks with good water holding capacity and medium to high fertility status.
• Soil test to determine crop fertiliser requirements.
• Spray out the paddock and cultivate to achieve a fine, even weed-free seedbed.
• For fast establishment, plant when the soil temperature is at least 18°C and rising at 5 cm depth.
• Drill and roll Bettagraze or SSS seed into a fine, moist seedbed. Plant Bettagraze at 3-5 cm and SSS at 2.5-3.5 cm depth.
• Plant Bettagraze at 25-45 kg/ha and SSS at 15-25 kg/ha. Crops planted at higher rates will have thinner stems and a higher yield potential.
• Graze behind a wire or cut the crop when it reaches around 1 m in height. For maximum regrowth, leave a residual of 15 cm.
• Recut or graze after 4-5 weeks when the crop is at least 0.8 m and no more than 1.2 m in height.
• Monitor nitrate and prussic acid levels, especially in crops that have been drought-stressed or frosted.

For more information on growing and feeding Bettagraze or SSS, contact your local Pioneer representative.