Alfalfa winterkill is particularly severe in the Ottawa Valley and New Liskeard areas. There are many options to consider for emergency forage, depending on the calendar date, urgency for short term feed, and forage yield and nutrient quality requirements. Refer to “Forage Options When Alfalfa Winterkill Strikes” (https://fieldcropnews.com/?p=6680) Forage supplies are extremely tight, and forage acreage needs to be increased…
Scattered reports are coming in from across the province of alfalfa winterkill in some of the higher risk older stands and fall harvested stands. Extensive winterkill has occurred in eastern Ontario, from Arnprior south, east to Quebec and west to about Brockville. There are reports of 75% winterkill in some of these areas, particularly on flat, heavier clays in the…
Red clover haylage can sometimes be a good alternative to alfalfa. Under ideal conditions alfalfa will usually outyield red clover. However, in areas where alfalfa winterkill is a problem, red clover better tolerates imperfect drainage and lower pH levels, and can be grown in fields that are too wet or low pH for alfalfa. Red clover feed quality is similar to alfalfa…
Reseeding alfalfa following alfalfa is not a recommended practice due to the effects of autotoxicity, and plant diseases that can build up in the old stand. Alfalfa autotoxicity occurs when established alfalfa plants produce toxins which reduce both the germination (establishment) and the growth (yield) of new alfalfa plants. Autotoxicity can occur when alfalfa is reseeded into an old alfalfa field rather than…
Frost heaving can significantly damage alfalfa plants, leaving stands with much less or even zero yield potential. Plants may initially appear undamaged, but taproots are typically broken and unable to pick up enough nutrients or moisture, and stands eventually die. Frost heaving of alfalfa happens when repeated freezing and thawing pushes the tap root and crown out of the soil. Heaving occurs through-out the winter season…
Low forage inventories, high land costs, and sometimes increasing risks for alfalfa winterkill make assessing spring alfalfa health essential. Walking fields in early spring to determine if the alfalfa stand has thinned, and assessing if plants are dead or unhealthy is a proactive strategy to determine management options. Making the decision whether to manage an existing reduced stand or replace it with a new establishment can…
Orchardgrass can be very productive, particularly in pastures and hay fields with aggressive cutting schedules. It is a very fast growing, perennial, cool-season grass. However, because it heads so very early in the spring and then declines quickly in digestible energy and protein, it has not been as widely used for stored forage in Ontario compared to other forage…
Many horse owners are finding it increasingly challenging to find and purchase suitable hay at a price they can afford. Low hay yields due to dry weather in 2012 were followed by poorer quality as a result of rainy haying weather in 2013. However, there are also long term economic factors in play that are limiting hay production. Tighter…
Record acreages of emergency annual forages were seeded this summer after wheat and spring cereals were harvested. Low yields of first- and second-cut hay left many farmers with very low forage inventories. Emergency forages used included cool-season cereals (oats, barley, triticale) and cereal pea mixtures, as well as some warm-season sorghums, sorghum-sudans and millets (pearl, Japanese). Oats were the…
When we make corn silage and haylage, we are using our skills as microbiologists, just like winemakers, brewers and composters. As a biological system, silage making doesn’t always work perfectly. During an anaerobic silage fermentation, microorganisms feed on sugars and other soluble carbohydrates in the forage material and produce organic acids, such as lactate and acetate. This lowers the pH…
Forage production was extremely challenging in 2012, with low yields and tight forage inventories. Significant reductions in forage acres occurred from 2006 to 2011, of 500,000 acres of hay and 250,000 acres of pasture. Inventories of hay carried over in the spring were historically low. Export demand for quality hay to the US is very strong. Hay prices peaked at…
Farmers exposed to silo gas (nitrogen dioxide, NO2) are at risk of severe respiratory distress, permanent damage to lungs, and even sudden death. It is difficult to predict when silo gas will be produced, so always take precautions following harvest. Weather conditions and agronomic practices affect the amount of nitrates in plant material, which set the stage for the production of NO2 in…
Cutting Alfalfa This Fall? With reduced forage inventories, it will be very tempting to cut some alfalfa this fall. The decision and the immediate need for forage should be weighed against the increased risk of alfalfa winterkill. The Critical Fall Harvest Period for alfalfa is the 6-week rest period preceeding the average date of killing frost. Not cutting during this…
It can be very tempting to cut some alfalfa for haylage or baleage in the fall, particularly when supplies are tight or there is a lot of growth. The decision to cut or not needs to weigh the immediate need for forage against the increased risk of alfalfa winterkill and reduced yields next spring. How do we evaluate these risks? Stressing…
Extended periods of dry weather without rain can severely stress corn plants. When this occurs during tasselling and pollination, cob formation and grain yield can be significantly reduced. As the situation worsens, leaves turn brown and the plants can appear dry and “dead”. Some farmers attempt to salvage this corn by using it as forage for livestock, either as corn…