With drought plaguing parts of Nebraska this year, producers may want to salvage soybeans as forage instead of for grain. Many can remember when soybeans were only used for forage many decades ago, so it can definitely be done.
Grazing, haying or ensiling can all be done with soybean plants. Grazing is very simple and has a relatively low risk of bloat; however, if there are many bean seeds themselves, high oil consumption can cause issues in cattle, especially calves. Young calves should not be allowed access to beans. We typically shoot for less than 7% of the diet as the bean. So with cows that is about 2 lb per day (that’s under “normal” situations with beans at 20% fat and we assume some of these beans may have less oil). We’re guessing cattle will pre-select pods/seeds. Allocation/limiting access is one way to handle this. Providing palatable hay or another feed may also reduce the likelihood of cattle overeating soybeans. Use strip grazing to force the use of the entire plant.
Hay from soybeans will have a similar quality to that of alfalfa. However, drying and rolling up hay is difficult with soybeans. The leaves become very fragile, while the stems can take a long time to dry. Crimp the stem heavily and resist the urge to rake the windrow unless done only one day after cutting to limit leaf shatter.
Source: unl.edu
Photo Credit: istock-sandramatic
Categories: Nebraska, Crops, Soybeans, Hay & Forage