Forage

When it comes to something like mowing or clipping pastures, there are certainly two sides to the fence: those that think mowing or clipping pastures is just something that has to be done, and those that think it is a waste of time and fuel and offers little benefit. In truth, the reality is that both sides are right—the need to mow or clip is usually site and time-specific and will depend on several factors. Sometimes the decision is easy, and sometimes the decision is less clear, so what are the arguments for or against mowing or clipping?

It’s the time of year when our alfalfa fields are just waking from winter slumber, or at least we hope they are. We are hopeful that a combination of favorable moisture and thoughtful management will have fields greening up with a strong stand. Unwelcome are brownfields or something close to it. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen often. Yet, when it does, the decision of what’s to follow is painful but an easy one to make — time to put this field out of its misery and plant something else.

Dairy farms in particular recognize the value of winter forages like triticale as a high-yielding and high-quality forage crop for livestock. The yield potential for winter forages is largely based on planting date and fall nitrogen availability; these two critical factors determine the number of fall tillers, which set the yield potential for the following spring. Winter forages like triticale can also serve as a good source of protein, potentially making them a more economical alternative to other feed ingredients such as soybean meal for meeting ration protein needs.

The Maryland Milk Moos is a quarterly newsletter published by the University of Maryland Extension that is focused on dairy topics related to Nutrition and Production, Herd Management, and Forage Production.

This quarterly newsletter is focused on bringing timely, relevant information to Maryland's livestock producers

Fortunately or unfortunately, people are creatures of habit. Over the years, we’ve developed behaviors and habits that will stick with us for a lifetime. This applies to our daily routines and the choices we make, both good and bad. Whether it’s not getting enough sleep, skimping on the sunscreen, or neglecting to floss on a daily basis, we often find ourselves guilty of making the same mistakes again and again. Unfortunately, this same phenomenon also holds true when it comes to grazing livestock. As you make plans for the upcoming growing season, here are a few of the more common grazing mistakes that we often fall prey to. Let’s do our best to break that habit and avoid these mistakes moving forward.

With a new growing season comes new opportunities, one of which is the opportunity to do a better job with making hay. With spring being a busy time of year, hay-making is often one of the lower priorities on the long list of things to do, but this means that all too often much of the hay that is made is moderate to lower in quality. In many cases, making better quality hay can significantly reduce the need for supplemental feed purchases and help keep adequate condition on animals. Below are some practical considerations for improving the quality of your hay this year.

Winter cover crops can be a good forage source for dairy cattle. Harvesting in the early boot stage will generate a quality forage that can be incorporated into the lactating cow diet. Here we will compare the nutrient profile for various silages produced from winter annuals with the more traditional corn and alfalfa silages.

Maryland Milk Moos Newsletter (March 2021-Volume 2, Issue 1). Topics include pre-weaned calf housing and nutrition, grazing tips, and management of poor alfalfa stands.

With barley harvest behind us and wheat harvest in full swing, our thoughts move to planting double-crop soybeans. This might be a prudent decision in many cases, but if you need forage, it may be a short-sighted choice. I suggest you look into your toolbox and consider forage sorghum, millet, or even grain sorghum.