– Stan Smith, OSU Extension PA, Fairfield County
Despite abundant and timely rainfall – at least for corn and soybeans – across much of Ohio this summer, supplies of high quality hay may not be so plentiful. Forage growth has been abundant in most places but the opportunities for a mechanical dry hay harvest have simply been few and far between. That being said, the temptation to take a late cutting of high quality hay may be great this fall, and the weather forecast and the calendar both suggest that the balance of this week and perhaps next week are the last opportunities to do that.
Killing frost of alfalfa happens when air temperatures reach 25 degrees F for several hours. If there’s much alfalfa and/or red clover in the stand, it’s particularly important to time the last harvest at least 30 days before freezing temperatures are expected in order to safely maintain a healthy stand into next spring. If the stand is pure grass, the timing of the last cutting is less of an issue, but certainly still a consideration for maintaining a healthy stand that can grow aggressively when spring breaks.
With fall upon us, perennial plants are beginning to actively store energy reserves in their roots in the form of carbohydrates that are used for winter survival and regrowth next spring. Much the same as Rory Lewandowski described in this publication 3 weeks ago regarding fall pasture management, cutting too late in September or October interrupts the carbohydrate storage process because the plant will use its root reserves after a cutting in an effort to initiate more regrowth. Considering the enormous stress that forage stands experienced during last year’s drought, a late cutting in the midst of the energy storage phase will add additional stress to forage stands. Once cutting has been delayed much beyond mid-September, it’s best to consider delaying harvest into late October or early November after the plants have completed their energy storage phase. Careful management of forage stands over the next 6-8 weeks can have a significant impact on next year’s total yield.