Albert Mallicoat is our featured fescue seed producer for the fall issue of The Fence Post and like all producers you will see similarities and differences in his operation to yours. He purchased Pennington’s Texoma MaxQ II, the novel endophyte tall fescue developed by the Noble Foundation for the Central and South-Central U.S. and this is his experience with the renovation process on his farm. It is our intention that as you read his story you have the opportunity to glean bits of information that you can put to good use on your operation.
Albert’s farm is near El Dorado Springs and he started farming on his own in the 1980s. He was “raised up on the farm” and worked for neighbors that farmed. “I always liked it,” he said and decided farming was what he wanted to spend his life doing. His farm is mainly row crops, but he does run cattle too.
What motivated him to plant his first Texoma MaxQ II? “I wanted to farm and I was lucky enough to get a toehold. It’s in my blood to try and raise a good crop.” He started his renovation process about five years ago with a field that had been row cropped and was only marginally successful with row crops. It was time for a change in that particular field.
After taking a soil test on the field, he says, “We cut off the beans and then we put lime, potassium(K), and phosphorus(P) down.” We broadcast the Texoma MaxQ II and came back in and vertical tilled lightly to work in the seed. We did this the first of September.”
His advice to anyone planting MaxQ for the first time is to make sure you have a clean field when you first plant. “You have to have a clean field to get started.” His beans had been sprayed throughout the summer with either Round-up or Liberty and this allowed him to plant the grass seed immediately after harvesting the beans.
In the spring he added nitrate and sprayed with Grazon P+D. He let the grass grow and cut a good crop of seed off of it that first year followed by two hay cuttings.
Normally, their second cutting of hay occurs in the middle of September. However, because of the dry conditions, that will not happen this year. “When we bale it for a second time in September, we always put more phosphate and potash on it. You have to keep the fertilizer on it if you are going to grow good seed.” Even though there will be no second cutting this year, Albert will still apply phosphate and potash to the field. He uses the hay from his Texoma fields to feed his own cattle. He says the fields themselves are “not set up to graze,” but could be grazed as long as the cattle were pulled off in time for tillering.
Since that first renovation, three other fields have followed with very good success in each. He said all of the renovations were similar. He attributes much of that to the clean field at planting time and keeping it clean by applying Grazon P+D in the spring. Nitrate is applied in the early spring and 65 lb. of nitrate seems to work well for him. This past harvest, Albert cut 600 lb./A seed off of it and says the field continues to do well.
Albert recommends Texoma MaxQ II saying, “I know it cost money, but we get more tonnage of hay off of it than the old Kentucky 31 and it’s better quality.”
He takes his seed to the Pennington buying station south of El Dorado Springs on Hwy. 32. The station is run by Colton Brown. “Colton is good to me. He’s fair and honest. Pennington’s been good to me, too. Keith Hankins has been helpful with information. If I have any questions, Keith can answer them. It’s a good deal!”
Colton Brown said he always expects good quality seed from Albert when he brings his seed into the buying station. “Albert manages his fields properly.”
No one farms alone and Albert has help from his daughter, son-in-law and grandson. “They all have jobs off the farm, but they work on the farm too.” He also gives credit to his wife Neva “who works as hard as anybody.” Also indispensable to operating the farm is their hired hand. “She’s the best you can get and I’m going to have a hard time replacing her when she retires soon.”
Renovating a field to Texoma MaxQ II is an investment, whether you are turning a bean field into a hay field or going from the old toxic tall fescue to the novels, we know you want to do it right. Pennington is here to help you and answer any questions you might have.
~ Written by Linda Perkin, Pennington Seed, Inc.
The Alliance for Grassland Renewal is a national organization focused on enhancing the appropriate adoption of novel endophyte tall fescue technology through education, incentives, self-regulation and promotion. For more resources or to learn more about the Alliance for Grassland Renewal, go to www.grasslandrenewal.org
The Alliance for Grassland Renewal 