Oasis Forage Chicory

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High Extended Season Yields

Very Palatable & Digestible

High Energy Levels

High Mineral Levels

Reliable Summer Forage

Improved Disease Resistance

Description

Oasis brand forage chicory is a high yielding, broad-leaved perennial herb that has excellent feed value for livestock. It has been bred for greatly improved disease resistance, which significantly increases survival under grazing. Oasis also breaks winter dormancy earlier, so it has a longer growing season to provide high quality feed for a longer season.

Oasis is suitable for all types of production livestock, and ideal for high quality forage during the summer. It is ideally managed in a mix with clovers.

According to Dr. Jerry Jung (retired, USDA-ARS) "Chicory contains 4X the amount of Magnesium (Mg) as grass, and 2X that of Alfalfa, which will aid in control of Grass Tetany in animals."

Dr. John Andrae (Clemson University), says that cattle grazing Oasis Chicory Paddocks are consuming less minerals and showing similar weight gains than cattle grazing alfalfa. (See video below.)

Other Info

Sowing and Establishment:
Oasis can grow well on a wide range of soils, including sandy soil, and silt loams. Chicory grows best on high fertility soils with moderate to good drainage. Chicory is best sown around mid spring, but can also be sown effectively in the late summer/early fall. It should be sown in a fully cultivated seed-bed after pasture that has been killed with herbicide. Care should be taken to sow at a depth of 3/8" to 1/2" to ensure good germination. For a chicory dominant pasture sow at 6-8 lb/ac with 5 lb/ac red clover and 3 lb/ac white clover. In a grass-clover mix, show at 1-2 lb/ac in the spring or 2-3 lb/ac in the fall.

Grazing Management:
Ideally, Oasis chicory should be rotationally grazed to prolong stand life. Chicory should be grazed when it is 6-8" tall, leaving a residual of 2-3", and then allowed to re-grow. If managed appropriately, with good soil and fertility, a chicory stand should last 3-5 years.

For additional detailed information on establishment and management click the following link, Establishment & Management of Chicory (pdf, 27KB)


Oasis Chicory Video

Oasis Brand chicory at Clemson University out-performs alfalfa in grazing trials.

Oasis Chicory Photos

These two pictures were taken February 11, 2009. The plants are only 1 year old and went through a severe drought last year. I pulled this plant up (broke off some of the roots unfortunately) when most of the plants had completely gone dormant. Take note of the tap root and feeder roots which help promote this as an EXCELLENT drought tolerant forage. While the plant might seem small, it's important to realize how strong it is.... Temperatures were over 100 degrees several days, non-irrigated (20 inches of rainfall below normal), AND cattle grazed late spring and fall (08).


Steers Grazing Oasis Chicory at Mississippi State University.


Close up of Oasis Chicory during the summer of 2005 at Mississippi State University.


Lush Oasis Chicory ready to be grazed.