Buff Cowpea

We recommend Buff Cowpea, an annual summer forage legume that tolerates drought and heat and can be used to fatten cattle and sheep. It suits areas with 500mm+ rainfall or irrigation and a wide range of soils, although it doesn't like waterlogging. Sow at 15 to 20 kg/ha once soil temperatures reach 16°C.

Sow Buff Cowpea 3–5cm deep at 15–20 kg/ha, using 18–35cm row spacings to target 9–13 plants per m². Wider row spacings give livestock better access and reduce trampling. Inoculate the seed with Group I inoculant before sowing, and wait until soil temperatures reach 16°C with good moisture.

Adding Buff Cowpea is a good way to do it. Cowpeas are a good companion legume for our Bounty Forage Sorghum and Shirohie Millet, and their higher protein lifts the quality of the hay or silage. They also fix nitrogen for the following crop. Inoculate with Group I and sow once soil temperatures reach 16°C.

We recommend Buff Cowpea, an excellent green manure crop that improves soil nitrogen levels when inoculated with Group I. It is easy to establish, grows in a range of soils and tolerates drought, though not waterlogging. It needs warm conditions of 25 to 35°C, soil temperatures of 16°C at sowing and 500mm+ rainfall or irrigation, and flowers 49 to 55 days after sowing.

We recommend only light grazing of Buff Cowpea, to ensure the plants regrow. It is an annual summer forage crop that can be regrazed, and wider row spacings (18 to 35cm) allow better livestock access and reduce trampling. Buff responds well to phosphorus, potassium and sulphur, and it is susceptible to frost.

No, Buff Cowpea doesn't like to be waterlogged, so we recommend sowing it on free-draining ground. It grows in a variety of soils and is drought tolerant, but it is susceptible to root rot fungus. For paddocks that sit wet, talk to us about a crop better suited to wet conditions.

For Buff Cowpea, we recommend waiting until the soil temperature reaches 16°C and there is good soil moisture. The crop needs warm temperatures of 25 to 35°C to grow. Cowpeas are susceptible to frost, so avoid sowing while there is still a frost risk. Buff flowers 49 to 55 days after sowing.

Buff Cowpea is a dual-purpose option for grain and forage. It produces high seed yields, and both the seed and the plant have high nutritive value and palatability. The pods hold about 11 buff-coloured seeds. Buff flowers 49 to 55 days after sowing, suits 500mm+ rainfall or irrigation, and should be sown at 15 to 20 kg/ha.

Both are annual summer forage legumes that fix nitrogen and pair well with millet and forage sorghum. Buff Cowpea is an erect type that flowers 49 to 55 days after sowing and produces high seed yields. Our Ebony Cowpea ranges from a prostrate trailing plant to a climbing vine, has a long production season, and is resistant to Phytophthora stem rot races 3 and 4.

Yes, Buff Cowpea can be used to fatten both cattle and sheep, and both the seed and plant offer high nutritive value and palatability. We recommend light grazing so the plants can regrow, and introducing stock gradually as with any new feed. For hay or silage, they work well in a mix with forage sorghum or millet.