So far, cowpea is a type of legume that can live throughout the summer and rainy seasons. This plant is widely used as animal feed in addition to food ingredients such as its seeds by humans. Cowpeas is also one of the plants that can be relied upon because of its fast growth cycle and abundant yields. However, many still are confused about whether is cowpea a fodder crop. Find out the related information below.
Is Cowpea a Fodder Crop? The Facts You Need to Know
Cowpea seeds are sown in coarsely tilled soil, only two to three times. Even though they can survive in hot and dry rice fields, farmers still need to provide a distance of about 3 meters deep for water flow areas as irrigation.
Although this is not mandatory, pay attention to how the soil structure and irrigation flow should be so that the yields are abundant and not easily affected by pests and weeds. The origin of the water used for irrigation can be from drilling or flowing water to the cowpea area from the surrounding river. Spacing also needs to be considered to maximize planting 6 cm to 15 cm between plants.
Cutting or harvesting also needs to be considered the time. Animal feed is usually cut after 45 days from the sowing period. The recommended interval harvesting is a minimum of 30 days. The total forage obtained after this planting process is high, it is sufficient to meet the food needs of livestock.
Many have asked whether is cowpea a fodder crop. One of the most famous fodder plants is cowpea.
- Cowpea has long been used as the main ingredient in the manufacture of straw or forage feed. In addition, cowpea is very commonly used as fodder when grazing.
- If you are interested in using cowpea as a silage material, add corn or sorghum.
- Although there are still more breeders using soybeans, not a few prioritize cowpea because of their content.
- If feeding livestock with soybeans, then you need more volume because it is low in fiber. Well, you can switch to cowpea, the crude fiber content is 20% and the protein reaches 16%.
Cowpeas as a Fodder Crop and Cover Crop
Cowpea is a legume that has many varieties and is deliberately grown for its many functions. Most commonly, the seeds or parts of the plant are used for human food, but not a few grow cowpeas for forage.
Don’t be confused if you meet different types of plants, because cowpeas can be vines, semi-vines, or just bushes. There are varieties specifically used for fodder, usually, they are shrubs with few vines. However, this variety can also be harvested for human consumption although its primary function is as animal feed.
Then, is cowpea a fodder crop? Characteristics of cowpea as an annual plant, which can grow quickly, especially in summer. If you are a farmer, you can grow your own or get cowpeas from farmers because they are of high quality. Of course, you want your livestock to grow fat, right? Sheep and cows love cowpeas and this is good for dairy cows too. Besides grazing directly, you can also mow it and provide it for your livestock feed.
If you are growing cowpeas as a fodder crop, it will be optimal if cowpeas are cut after 45 to 50 days from planting. Generally, cowpea flowers will grow when they are 48 to 52 days old. Well, if you want to take the pods, you need another 50 days for the beans to be ready to be picked. When flowering, it will attract insects around it.
Cowpea has many uses, as a fodder crop or human food ingredient, they can also function as a cover crop. The point is that cowpea is deliberately planted at the end of summer with the aim of re-fertilizing the soil because cowpea can increase nitrogen levels in the soil.
In this way, apart from getting cowpea crops, you will also improve the condition of the soil so that it is ready for planting in the following season. The indirect use of cowpea is as green manure. Growing cowpea as a cover crop is not that difficult because cowpea can grow in various types of soil such as wet, dry, sandy soil, and others.
In conclusion, growing crops for animal feed is highly dependent on many variables such as season, stage of production, or life cycle of the plant and geographical conditions. However, this should not be a barrier to providing the best types of forage crops for your livestock. You can choose plants that are resistant to hot temperatures and can grow in various types of soil such as cowpeas.
So, is cowpea a fodder crop? Cowpea is a type of feed that is nutritious and much liked by livestock. Besides being good for the body, planting cowpea also benefits the soil because of its ability to bind nitrogen. It is valuable for maintaining soil and crop rotation.