The Central New York Dairy and Field Crops Team has announced they, together with the Cornell Cooperative Extensions in Chenango, Herkimer, Madison, Otsego and Schoharie counties, “will be monitoring first cutting hay fields this spring to help suggest when producers should begin cutting for the highest quality forage for producing milk.”
“Alfalfa height has been shown to be a strong predictor of in-field NDF (Neutral Detergent Fiber) and gives a reasonable indication of forage quality without the need of forage testing. It has been shown that alfalfa height can not only predict alfalfa NDF but also the NDF content of mixed alfalfa grass stands and pure grass stands,” a May 16 communication from the Dairy and Field Crops Team said.
The Dairy and Field Crops Team has provided a First Cutting Forage Quality Update containing alfalfa height measurements and predicted NDF values for fields in Chenango, Fulton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Otsego and Schoharie counties.
The Dairy and Field Crops Team intends that this information provides encouragement for farmers to check their own fields so that they are aware of whether or not they should be harvesting.
“There are considerable differences in maturity depending geographic location, elevation, soil drainage and which direction the slope is facing. Fields that are in some combination of south facing, well drained and in the valley are much further along. We cannot emphasize enough you need to check your fields!” the Dairy and Field Crops Team notice announcing the forage update said.
For more information about fine tuning when to begin harvesting first cutting visit the Central New York Dairy and Field Crops Team.
Five Cooperative Extension associations covering six counties participate as partners in the Central New York Dairy & Field Crops Team including Chenango, Fulton and Montgomery, Herkimer, Otsego and Schoharie.
