I, for some reason, had the legume Birdsfoot Trefoil stuck in my head today. Don't ask me why. Maybe God was trying to tell me what Legume to try in the pasture next spring, who knows. Any way, I did a Google search for it and found a very informative article about this legume. It would appear that it will grow well in Missouri, but it grows best in the central and northern parts of the state.
What I liked about it, was that soil condition doesn't have to be the greatest for it to grow, much like Korean Lespedeza which I planted through trampling, and did come up, but I grazed to quickly so I lost it. (Lesson learned).
There are two downsides to Birdsfoot, that I could see, the first being soil drainage. If your soil does not drain well, the roots of the trefoil will rot quickly, according to Missouri State Extension. The other downer is that it will not produce enough to make good hay. In other words, it will feed the cattle and collect N from the atmosphere, but don't expect much tonnage in hay.
I will be giving this legume some more thought. I haven't even looked into how much the seed might cost, that is the difference between a good pasture and a struggling one, for us. Once I see the price per pound, I usually start looking for another idea. It is hard to accept the price per pound of grass seed.
Click the links above and read some interesting research on Birdsfoot Trefoil from the University of Missouri. Enjoy your education on grass and let me know if you have more knowledge that you can share with this silly, learning, farmer wannabe.
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