Planting Green in a Cover Crop
Planting Green in a Cover Crop Last fall we prepared a field for our 2015 corn plots by planting a cover crop mix: We used King’s Vetch and Oats seeded @ 88lbs./acre and Crimson Clover seeded @ 22 lbs./acre. We no-till drilled these into the field after a second cutting of summer annual teff was harvested.…
Effect of Starch Type on Optimizing Amino Acids in Diets of Dairy Cows
Chuck Schwab, et. al. Department of Animal Sciences Cornell University, NY “Starch makes milk” is an often heard statement from field nutritionists. This makes sense because starch (and sugar) feeding increases propionate production, propionate is the primary glucogenic volatile fatty acid, glucose is used by the mammary gland to produce lactose, and lactose is the…
Summer Cover Crops, Even When it’s Dry
Ray’s Crazy Mix, a diverse summer annual cover crop mix What if it’s a dry summer? Will cover crops tie up the soil moisture for your cash crop? In most cover cropping scenarios, you will find the opposite. Unless you are using the cover crop in a manner that would normally be considered competitive…
How Windrow Width Impacts Hay Quality
By Jordan J. Milewski, Progressive Forage Grower Losses begin at cutting: That’s the most basic hay and forage fact in relation to quality. Once the blade slices a hay stem, the quality race is on! The fundamental problem with haymaking is that it’s impossible to preserve all the quality found in a standing crop. Once…
Too much of a good thing? High yields of unfamiliar crops may take some getting used to
MasterGraze tillering corn and Iron Clay Cowpeas A voluminous forage harvest is usually a blessing. But this may not be the case for those who aren’t prepared for it. Some of our customers found themselves with more than they bargained for when they experimented with a mix of MasterGraze, a BMR tillering corn, and cowpeas,…
KingFisher Premium Alfalfas
KingFisher Alfalfa with Organic Partner Grass Mix KingFisher alfalfas continue to stand out as the premier alfalfa varieties on the market. With consistent, high performance at the World Dairy Expo, this lineup of alfalfas is second to none. KF Enhancer II– Workhorse High yielder with excellent feed quality. Very eye catching variety with an excellent…
Seeding Rate and Planting Date – Winter Annual Forages
Seeding rate and seeding date are mutually influential. For example, a later seeding date with a grass crop might mean less tillering in the fall, demanding a higher seeding rate to achieve the same ground cover. Planting dates that stretch later into the fall produce far less cover crop biomass, heights, and ground cover. The…
Spring Annuals: A well-planned, last minute forage
Early spring is not too late to make the move to supplement your pastures with high-energy forage that can be grown in 60 days or less. Whether they stretch perennial pastures or winter annual small grain forage you planted this fall, spring annuals help diversify your inventory. They can also be part of a renovation…
The ROSE Project: A Reduced-Tillage Toolbox
In support of the ROSE Project at Penn State University we are posting the latest edition of “The Rose Review” which is a periodic newsletter for the ROSE Project. The ROSE project stands for Reduced-Tillage Organic Systems Experiment; the research theme is “A Reduced-Tillage Toolbox: Alternative approaches for integrating cover crops and reduced tillage in an organic…
Think Ahead: Herbicide Rotation Restrictions
Dave Wilson, Research Agronomist When planning our crop rotations, including cover crops, we need to consider how the weeds will be controlled in each crop and if there is any risk of herbicide carry-over that will affect the next crop in rotation. Read herbicide labels and look for listed rotational restrictions for the crop that…
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