Native Plants

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Wednesday - October 22, 2014

From: Beeville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Edible Plants, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Native Grasses as a Hay Crop in Beeville, TX
Answered by: Larry Larson

QUESTION:

I am looking to cut Hay on about 38 acres just west of Beeville, Texas. I want to convert the land to native grasses, but I still want to have a decent hay crop that I can sell. What is a good set of native grasses to establish in that region.

ANSWER:

When Mr Smarty Plants went looking for references and information on this topic, he was pleasantly surprised! There is quite a bit of literature out there that supports hay production using native grasses.

Here are some of those references:

AgWeb: Hay Production with Native Grasses

Univ. of Tennessee: Producing Hay from Native Warm-Season Grasses in the Mid-South

Native Prairie Hay Meadows: A Landowner’s Management Guide

Missouri Dept of Conservation: NATIVE WARM-SEASON GRASS PASTURES

Univ. of Nebraska Extension: Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, and Indiangrass for Grazing and Hay

These grasses are both listed in the above publications and in the List of Recommended Species which covers the area around Beeville [Postoak Savannah] :

Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass)

Andropogon gerardii (Big bluestem)

Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)

Tripsacum dactyloides (Eastern gamagrass)

Schizachyrium scoparium (Little bluestem)