'Chet' Sand Bluestem

Scientific Name: Andropogon hallii Hack.

Short Description: 'Chet' is a medium-stature sand bluestem recommended for pasture, hay, complementary rangeland-forage production systems, soil stabilization, or reclamation or marginal croplands in the central and southern Great Plains.

Description: 'Chet' is an improved variety of sand bluestem.  'Chet' was developed and subsequently cooperatively released in August of 2004 by the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-NRCS. In small plot evaluations,'Chet' produced an average of 7150 lbs/acre dry matter across several locations.  This was 8.8% better than 'Woodward' sand bluestem, the current standard.  The seasonal crude protein was 6.4% and in vitro dry matter digestibility was 51%.  In replicated grazing trials at the USDA-ARS Southern Plains Experimental Range near Ft. Supply, OK, the average daily gain of stocker cattle was 2.6 lbs/day over a 62 day grazing period. 'Chet' has proven to be an excellent forage grass that is well adapted to the Great Plains region.

Taxonomy of Sand Bluestem

 Plant Characteristics of Sand Bluestem   

Uses of 'Chet' Sand Bluestem

Livestock: 'Chet' sand bluestem is a very good forage producer for the Great Plains region when managed in a rotational grazing system or appropriate haying schedule.  As with most native grass forage production systems, optimum haying and grazing is prior to seed head formation and the best quality forage is in the spring and early summer.

Wildlife: 'Chet' provides excellent cover and browsing for deer and elk and is an excellent component in mixes for upland gamebird habitat.

Soil erosion: 'Chet' sand bluestem is well-adapted to many soils and geographic regions and will provide soil stabilization when fully established.