alfalfa

Late Season Forage Harvest Management

| Clifton Martin

Are you making a decision about cutting alfalfa in September?  Consider reviewing these pointers from Marc Sulc, OSU Extension Forage Specialist:

Complete Article: Late Season Forage Harvest Management

 

Fall cutting risk can be reduced but not eliminated.  Nature bats last and alfalfa stand health and survival will suffer more from fall cutting when when have early freezes, open and very cold winters, early springs with ice, and/or extreme rainfall and temperature variations. If at all possible, we urge producers to observe the fall rest period for forage legumes. And if you do harvest during the fall rest period, leave some strips of uncut forage to compare to. You might learn something useful!

From: https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-28/late-season-forage-harvest-management

Late Season Forage Harvest Management

| Clifton Martin

The best time to take a last harvest of alfalfa and other legumes is sometime in early September in Ohio, for the least risk to the long-term health of the stand. These forages need a fall period of rest to replenish carbohydrate and protein reserves in the taproots that are used for winter survival and regrowth next spring.

Many forage producers around the state have been cutting this past week and are continuing into this week. It will be ideal if this is indeed the last harvest of the season. But some growers might try to squeeze out another late cutting, and others have fields that are not quite ready for harvest right now. Like most farming decisions, there are trade-offs and risk factors to consider when making a fall harvest of forage legumes after the first week of September. This article reviews best management practices and risk factors affecting fall cutting management.

The full content of this article is available at: https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-28/late-season-forage-harvest-management

Alfalfa Fiber Content Estimates in Ohio

| Clifton Martin

From:   //  C.O.R.N. NEWSLETTER  //  2018-14  //  ALFALFA FIBER CONTENT ESTIMATES IN OHIO

https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-14/alfalfa-fiber-content-estimates-ohio

Alfalfa Fiber Content Estimates in Ohio

Lead Author: Angela Arnold

Alfalfa development over the past week has continued at a a rapid pace and caused an increase in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) values. Alfalfa NDF was estimated in different counties in Ohio using the height and stage of alfalfa, as described in last week’s article about estimating alfalfa fiber content. The table below indicates average NDF and stage of alfalfa in four different counties in Ohio.  It is time to harvest high quality alfalfa in western Ohio!

Date

Location (county)

Average NDF

Stage

5/20/18

Auglaize

38.3%

Bud

5/21/18

Mercer

38%

Vegetative

5/17/18

Tuscarawas

32%

Vegetative

5/15/18

Wayne

33.1%

Vegetative / Early Bud

Alfalfa producers should keep a close watch on alfalfa development as warmer temperatures persist in the region. Producers should consider harvesting as soon as a weather window opens up. It is likely several alfalfa fields around the state will be harvested this week if weather permits.

Grass fields are ready for harvest. In fact, orchardgrass is already flowering in western Ohio. Grasses that have reached the early heading stage are already past the prime for high producing lactating dairy cows; however, grass in early heading is still good for feeding to many other classes of livestock with lower requirements than lactating dairy cows. Begin harvesting grasses as soon as you see a good harvest window.

There have also been some reports of alfalfa weevil damage / feeding across the state. In addition to keeping a close watch on alfalfa development for making harvest decisions, producers should be monitoring alfalfa weevil to determine if harvesting earlier is warranted.  If alfalfa weevil damage is at or over the economic threshold, growers should consider cutting earlier to eliminate the risk of losing quality due to weevil feeding. Visit HERE for a factsheet on alfalfa weevil.