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Improving forage quality, yield and longevity!

We take great pride in providing our customers with high quality pasture mixes and related products. Our team of agronomists can give you the help you need to have success with your pastures, leading to improved hay production and livestock performance. The Mill, thanks to new and exciting developments in forage research, is introducing new varieties of orchardgrass, festulolium (a hybrid pasture seed), ryegrass, bluegrass and several clovers. We stock three pasture mixes, each designed to withstand the grazing pressure of horses and livestock throughout the year. Our focus has been to find a source of seed genetics that will increase forage quality, forage yield, and longevity. Many of these new exciting species and varieties are sourced from DLF, the largest seed company in the world. DLF is performing research in many climates both in and outside the United States; please take a look at their website, www.dlfpickseed.com, for additional information.


Pasture Mixes

Below you will find a breakdown of The Mill’s pasture mixes. If you require a specific forage blend, The Mill can customize one for you, or you can work with one of our agronomists to develop one together. Call any Mill location for more information.

The Mill Supreme Pasture Mix

40% Fojtan Festulolium
30% Inavale Orchardgrass
25% Hostyn Festulolium
5% Balin Kentucky Bluegrass

The Supreme Pasture Mix combines our toughest highest yielding Festulolium, Fojtan, with a terrific early spring Festulolium, Hostyn, and Inavale Orchardgrass. Balin Kentucky Bluegrass is added to aid in the improvement of sod quality and help with reducing weed pressure. Your livestock will have three super species of highly palatable grass to choose from when grazing.

The Mill Horse and Livestock Pasture Mix

40% Inavale Orchardgrass
40% Olathe Orchardgrass
15% Hostyn Festulolium
5% Balin Kentucky Bluegrass

Orchardgrass is a terrific source of high-quality forage. This mix combines an early maturing, high-yielding orchardgrass called Olathe and a mid--maturing orchardgrass called Inavale with excellent persistence and vigor. Hostyn Festulolium provides for fast establishment and will produce lots of early spring/fall high-quality forage. The Kentucky Bluegrass forage variety named Balin, helps to improve sod quality which will reduce weed pressure and is a source of palatable forage.

The Mill Duragraze Pasture Mix

75% Fojtan Festulolium
20% Hostyn Festulolium
  5% Balin Kentucky Bluegrass

Duragraze is a combination of two Festulolium varieties. Fojtan is a durable grass that is able to withstand the toughest of environmental conditions. Fojtan will handle hot dry summers and continue to produce grass for grazing. Research from various University forage trials prove that Fojtan is a proven performer of high yielding high quality forage. The Hostyn Festulolium is in the mix to provide for early spring and early fall growth, and helps with fast establishment. The Balin Kentucky Bluegrass is added for the improvement of sod quality which helps to reduce weed pressure.

Grass Varieties

Below is a listing of some of the grass and legume species The Mill carries. If you are interested in a grass or legume seed that is not listed, give one of our stores a call. The Mill has access to many more grass and legume species and would be happy to provide the seed that will meet your needs. Our agronomists are also great sources of information and will work to provide answers and solutions to any question or problem you may have.

Festulolium

Festulolium is the name for a hybrid forage grass developed by crossing Meadow Fescue or Tall Fescue with perennial ryegrass or Italian ryegrass. This enables combining the best properties of the two types of grass. The fescues contribute qualities such as high dry matter yield, resistance to cold, drought tolerance and persistence, while ryegrass is characterized by rapid establishment, good spring growth, terrific digestibility, sugar content and palatability. The individual festulolium varieties contain various combinations of these qualities, but all are higher yielding than their parent lines. DLF has developed a substantial breeding program in hybrid festulolium that has produced a unique range of hybrid festulolium varieties. One can regard them as high yielding fescues with improved forage quality or as high yielding, more persistent ryegrasses.

Fojtan – high yielding, persistency of tall fescue with the quality of ryegrass

Hostyn – high yielding, early spring/fall forage, quick establishment

For more information on DLF’s Festulolium click here.

Orchardgrass

Orchardgrass has for years set the standard for grass forage in the transition zone and is highly palatable and produces good yields. It does not have the persistence of tall fescue or festulolium, but is of higher forage quality and produces more tonnage.

Olathe – terrific yield of high quality forage – 5 cut system and grazing – fine palatable leaf, maturity of 1

Amba – early maturing, high quality forage, maturity of 2

Inavale – Very suitable for hay production and grazing and is a broadly adapted variety for inclusion in mixtures anywhere orchardgrass is used – combines well with alfalfa in a 3-5 cut management system – medium maturity of 3, and has excellent persistence and vigor with a soft palatable leaf.

Echelon – Late maturity of 5 guarantees a high forage quality over a longer growing period, offering a more flexible harvest time – when combined with alfalfa, high forage quality is maintained from a 2 – 4 cut management system – produces high levels of dry matter with superior leaf disease resistance.

Kentucky Bluegrass

Kentucky Bluegrass produces high quality, highly palatable forage and a tightly meshed sod that reduces weed competition. Kentucky Bluegrass does not produce the yield of festulolium, tall fescue and orchardgrass and goes into a summer dormancy.

Balin Kentucky Bluegrass – broadly adapted, good seedling vigor

Forage Type Tall Fescue

Tall fescues are high yielding and the most persistent of all grass forages, tall fescues are drought tolerant, heat resistant, and insect tolerant. Tall fescue is not as palatable as other forages and it is necessary to plant varieties that will not cause fescue toxicosis.

Martin II Protek – as all tall fescues, Martin II Protek is high yielding with a high level of persistency. The difference between Martin II Protek and other tall fescues is that it possesses a non-toxic novel endophyte.

Brustus – durable high yielding endophyte free tall fescue. Brustus will not have the persistency of Martin II Protek.

Martin 2 Protek®

  • Combines genetics of Martin 2 forage tall fescue with the enhancement of the Protek® endophyte.
    • Martin 2 is an early-medium forage tall fescue selected for the transition zone
    • Protek® is a novel endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) that does not produce detectable levels of harmful ergot alkaloids such as the toxin ergovaline
  • Tall fescue plants inoculated with Protek® endophyte show increased forage productivity compared to the non-inoculated plants of the same variety
  • Protek® endophyte will defend the inoculated tall fescue plants against insects feeding on the tillers and leaves, resulting in reduced stress from insect damage

Click HERE to learn more about Martin 2 Proteck!

Other Grasses

NEW!

Zenyatta – Zenyatta is a top yielding variety of timothy. Maturity is earlier than climax and similar to Clair yet will outyield both varieties. In the high value horse hay market, Zenyatta outpaces the competition. Zenyatta’s consistent dark green color, minimal brown leaf problems, good standability and long seed head contributes a high visual score. Excellent regrowth facilitates a profitable second cut.

Winnetou – Is an intermediate maturing timothy that can be grazed and still maintain a suitable ground cover. Winnetou will produce high quality forage of acceptable yields.


Super T Intermediate Ryegrass

Zoro Italian Ryegrass

Chuck Wagon Forage Annual Ryegrass

Clair Timothy – early maturing

Climax Timothy – late maturing

Winnetou Timothy – grazing variety

Chieftain Reed Canarygrass

Persister Smooth Bromegrass

Clover

Jumbo II White Clover – improved Ladino type

Ladino Clover

Medium Red Clover

Ruby Red Clover

Crimson Clover

Grasshancer

Grasshancers introduce improved grass varieties to an existing forage crop. Research in the UK and Belgium has shown that grassland renewal through grasshancing can increase dry matter production by 16%. Studies in the U.S. have confirmed dry matter yield increase from overseeding.

The Mill stocks two Grasshancers from DLF, Grasshancer 100W and Grasshancer 300. If implemented as a management tool, grasshancing with these products every two to three years maintains a high-producing pasture for many years. They also helps with thin stands of pasture, grass hay or legume hay. Grasshancers introduce improved grass varieties to an existing forage crop.

Grasshancer 100

Grasshancer 100W is a combination of DLF’s best tetraploid and diploid winter hardy annual ryegrass. It can be used to ensure short-term high quality and high yielding winter forage.

Grasshancer 300

Grasshancer 300 is a medium term grass mixture, based on DLF Festulolium varieties with a 3 to 4 year persistency. This grass mixture is ideal for maintaining pastures and hay fields with high dry matter production and high feed quality. Its rapid establishment and high production will boost the dry matter yield of thinned out fields. Grasshancer 300 works to add tonnage to a 4-cut alfalfa system. In addition, Grasshancer 300 can be used as new seeding for high producing, high forage quality medium rotation pasture or hay field, or as long term pasture with an overseeding program.

Grasshancing Alfalfa

Many alfalfa fields are kept in production long after their productive life and suffer a decline in dry matter production as the stand ages; plants become less productive and the stand thins out. This encourages an invasion of weeds and reduces forage quality and yield. By adding either Grasshancer 100W or Grasshancer 300, dry matter production is increased, weeds are suppressed and forage quality is maintained. Inter-seeding the grasshancer forage varieties is a cost effective way to maintain high forage production and extend life of alfalfa stands.

Grasshancer Frost Seeding Formula

Frost seeding is an excellent method to “Grasshance.”Frost seeding is quick, leaves no tracks or compaction from equipment in the field and the seed is there when the conditions for germination arrive. Considering that germination conditions may arrive well before you are able to drive in the field with a drill or slit seeder, frost seeding has the potential to create a significant head start for your pastures. DLF has formulated Grasshancer mixtures that allow the grass to be frost seeded. The Frost Seeding Formula consists of a seed coating with a fungicide on the grass seed that improves the ballistic properties of the grass seed, allowing for application with a fertilizer spreader. The fungicide coating improves seed-to-soil contact and protects the seed during the prolonged period of germination and establishment. The Mill stocks Grasshancer 300 with the fungicide coating.

N-Hancer Frost Seeding Formula

N-Hancer is a blend of improved red and white clover in a 75%/25% ratio, formulated for the best results when frost seeded over an existing pasture. The 75%/25% ratio gives you 50/50 red to white clover seed count. N-Hancer is 35% coated and pre-inoculated. The coating serves several purposes:

  • A carrier and protectant for the rhizobia bacteria inoculant
  • Increased seed size and improved ballistics, allowing it to be applied with a traditional fertilizer spreader
  • Improved seed- soil contact for better establishment

Seeding N-Hancer can replace your N-fertilizer applications, decreasing your fertilizer bill while increasing animal productivity and boosting yield. That means more money in your bank account! Grass and clover stand polycultures have a higher protein production per acre and improved palatability over grass monoculture, resulting in higher intakes per animal and improved performance.

Take advantage of other Mill services!

The Mill also has fertilizer, weed control, lime and more available for your pasture or hay field. Remember, late summer and early fall are the perfect time to renovate pastures and plant forage producing crops. If you are not sure where to start, set up a free consultation with one of our agronomists. For information about these services or any of our products please stop in one of our 7 locations or contact us at 800-993-3300.



Preferred Pasture Program

We have asked our agronomists to provide customers with a pasture plan. This plan is designed to help you stay on track with your pasture and help it reach its fullest potential. If you have any questions regarding these steps ask your nearest location for help!

March - April

Take a soil sample in early March. Soil samples give us information on your soil’s fertility, pH levels and more. With a soil sample, we can give you advice on fertilizer and other pasture management tools.

After a soil sample, you may find that your pasture needs nitrogen and/or phosphorus.

June - July

Now’s the time to mow! Mowing/clipping pastures in the beginning of summer is very important for weed control. You will keep a great number of weeds from seeding and limit weed size, which will be helpful for fall herbicide applications.

August - September

This is the perfect time for selective herbicide applications. Tackle those hard-to-control weeds, which are storing energy in their roots to survive in winter! Once you’ve applied herbicides, Our pasture mixes will get to work. The Mill’s pasture mixes are designed with cool season grasses for fall, which will fill in the areas when the weeds disappear.

Why apply fertilizer in the fall?

  • Fall applications can help strengthen existing grass and promote new growth.
  • This is similar to lawn care, we want to put our pastures “to sleep” for the winter by adding phosphorus, potash, and a bit of nitrogen. It will give your pasture a boost so you’ll see a faster spring green up.

OR

If your pasture doesn’t have many weeds and is looking a bit bare, you may want to over seed. REMEMBER TO CHECK LABELS. If you have already applied herbicides, there may be a wait time before you can over seed.

Things to Remember

  1. Limit your number of animals on pastures.
  2. Rotate grazing if possible.
  3. Remember it’s weed control, not weed eradication!

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