Hairy vetch is a winter annual legume that offers a number of potential benefits to row-crop or livestock producers when used as a winter cover crop. Hay prices are still high and supply is still short. For livestock producers, WinterKing’s late maturity means more vegetative high value feed longer into the spring season. Drop us a note using the form below. Thank you! It grows slowly in the fall, but its roots grow throughout the winter and by spring, hairy vetch quickly grows into twelve-foot long vines. The answer, in most cases, is yes. Vetches are usually seeded in combination with a small grain and/or ryegrass on a prepared seedbed for winter grazing or silage. Agenda and registration details for the Michigan Forage Technology Conference are available online. Hairy vetch is a winter annual legume and one of the most productive at nitrogen fixation. Fall-planted buckwheat is not a concern when grazing cover crops in spring because it is extremely frost-sensitive and will not overwinter in Michigan, but it is not the best choice for spring or summer plantings that might be fed to livestock. In the garden, hairy vetch cover crops are usually grown through the winter and plowed into the soil before spring planting. MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer, committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce and inclusive culture that encourages all people to reach their full potential. As an annual legume, hairy vetch may need to be terminated either mechanically or chemically when followed by a row crop. Hairy Vetch is a nitrogen-fixing plant that works well as a cover crop. This will help us direct you to the correct source. Cereal rye is a great choice for those needing fall and early spring grazing. And when cut in late summer for dry hay, the vetch averaged 4,200 lb. per acre. Hairy vetch is fairly tolerant of acid soils, but soils should be well drained. Buy now Tech Sheet Tech Sheet (Spanish) However, small grains can be harvested at earlier maturities for better quality and less yield during a supply emergency. Available crude protein was 19 percent to 20 percent for hairy vetch and 17 percent for chickling vetch. We know that your time is valuable and are committed to responding promptly. Villana has a lower seed count when compared to to other hairy vetches, causing less adventitious seed left in the ground after use. It has a similar scrambling, climbing growth habit to common vetch and will survive throughout the winter. Many Michigan livestock producers are desperate to stretch forage supplies until spring green-up of pastures or the first cutting of hay. Kansas producers have successfully used hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) as a forage for cattle grazing for years. It can also be used in feed as hay, silage or grazing due to its high crude protein content. For best results, plant 3-6 weeks prior to the average first killing frost. Well-nodulated hairy vetch can enrich the soil with 60 to 120 lb/acre of nitrogen through nitrogen fixation. Join experts to discuss the latest in animal welfare issues that face the beef cattle industry. Kim Cassida, Michigan State University Extension, Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences - When harvested as hay, haylage or balage, recommended maturity stage is early milk for the optimum compromise of yield and forage quality in small grains. The conference is sponsored by the Michigan Forage Council, Michigan State University and Michigan State University Extension. A small grain hay crop may not be ready earlier than perennial hay crops, but it can add some security to a farm’s forage inventory or provide an extra source of sales income. Hairy Vetch performs best on well-drained soils and mild soil conditions. This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. A hairy vetch blend seems to be the ideal cover crop—good N2 fixation with the potential of lots of residue. See Establishment Guidelines for Legumes for more details. More biomass provides increased forage for livestock, more biomass for cover croppers, and increased weed suppression for all. This site needs Javascript enabled to fully function. Hairy indigo is mainly used for grazing, and growth is sometimes accumulated to furnish high quality grazing in the fall for weaned calves or dry cows. SmithSeed.com and these product sites. This has not been a problem when adequate grass was available. Privacy Policy. Any stage of hairy vetch growth is risky for grazing. Heavy grazing can cause significant damage to the plant and it may not recover. Winter legumes such as crimson clover, hairy vetch, and winter peas can provide high quality forage for grazing. This problem is more likely to occur when mature vetch with seeds is consumed or when vetch comprises most of the pasture, and is less likely to occur with hay or haylage than with pasture containing vetch. Standard bloat precautions such as taking the edge off the appetite of hungry animals before turnout, acclimating animals to new pasture gradually over several days, offering a dry hay supplement or adding a bloat preventative to water sources should be taken. 'Americus’ Hairy Vetch In 1993 a late maturing hairy vetch called ‘Americus’ hairy vetch was released by Jimmy Carter PMC and the University of Georgia. Hairy vetch is also used as fodder and can be grazed, or cut for hay and silage. Mix with cereal rye for increased weed suppression and increased winter survival of hairy vetch; Soil health benefits: source of nitrogen, increases weed control; Slow-growing cover crop so seed early for best growth; Not a good option for grazing. Hairy vetch develops best under cool temperature conditions, on fertile loam soils; it is also productive on sandy or clay soils. The upcoming Michigan Forage Technology Conference on March 7 in East Lansing, Mich., will teach the specifics of how to use cover crops as forage. Hairy vetch and winter peas have potential to be very useful additions to grazing mixtures. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. In this role, they provide a potential forage source as well as ground cover and other values associated with cover crops. Even in this trial, where much went wrong, legumes benefit from being pre-inoculated and coated. Roll kill, selective or non-selective herbicide allows for no-till seeding into terminated stand. The plant is sometimes planted in spring, especially in agricultural applications. When grazing or hairy vetch is sown on its own, a sowing density of 35 kg/ha is recommended. Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) is often used as a forage legume or cover crop throughout many temperate areas of the world, including the United States. Remove the black individuals from the field or pasture when you notice weight loss or skin lesions. Cattle may develop muscular problems when grazing vetch, especially when the seeds are forming. Many plant species used as cover crops have long histories of use as forage crops for hay or grazing. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. Hairy Vetch does an excellent job in soil tilth in the top few inches in the soil, often creating the illusion of planting in a cloud due to the soil’s looseness. The Michigan Forage Technology Conference on Thursday, March 7, will answer your questions about how to alleviate forage shortages through use of cover crops for grazing or hay. A PVP protected variety which began with selection work by Steve Groff in E. PA, WinterKing demonstrates improved winter hardiness, delayed flowering and the capacity to produce large amounts of high-nitrogen biomass. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464). This information is for educational purposes only. The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress, protected by code 18 USC 707. Where this species is sown with grain, it is essential to ensure that sufficient fertiliser is provided at establishment; with phosphorus (P) being the most important since it is essential for legume growth. Images Buckwheat should not be fed to horses as pasture, hay or haylage because it can cause photosensitization. However, cattle grazing vetch should be observed frequently. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. Livestock should be observed closely when first put on any lush spring pastures, including small grains, because frothy bloat and grass tetany are possible. Cool-season cover crops with strong forage histories include all of the small grains (rye, wheat, oats, barley and triticale), annual clovers (crimson, berseem and arrowleaf), red clover, brassicas (turnip, rape, kale, swede, fodder radish) and peas. My concern is the poisonous nature of hairy vetch for cattle. Some producers may find the late maturity of WinterKing reduces the potential for undesired seed propagation found in earlier maturing cover crop varieties. Terminate before seed production to avoid hard seed Grazing vetch aka Woolly pod vetch is an annual or biennial (rarely) leguminous plant. February 27, 2013. Photosensitization occurs as plant compounds break down and make skin hypersensitive to sunlight, leading to severe and painful sunburn on white patches or exposed skin around muzzle or eyes. * results not evaluated for statistical difference, 3-6 weeks prior to the average first killing frost. Cattle grazing pure stands of vetch have developed dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), similar to photosens- itization. Ideal seeding depth: ½–1½". Check out the MSU Agricultural Operations Certificate Program! Many innovative cover crop and forage solutions are available at This is beneficial for green manure as well as providing an extended high-protein source for grazing livestock throughout the full spring season. Want to Learn More? Villana hairy vetch is the ideal cover crop, livestock forage, and nitrogen fixing green manure crop. Unable Hairy Vetch is best grown with plants like cereal rye that enable the hairy vetch to climb up the cereal rye to allow air movement across the soil surface. Alternately, magnesium can be added to water tanks. In the first four years, the hairy vetch, oats and peas yielded roughly eight U.S. tons of silage per acre. Points are well above ground level reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply by... Silage per acre available online forage Technology Conference are available online MI 48824 the 4-H and! The Michigan forage Technology Conference are available online as cover crops have long histories of use as forage grown... 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