First Cutting of Alfalfa and Grasses Has Begun

By Angela Arnold  and Bruce Clevenger et.al

Last week we alerted Ohio producers that alfalfa and grass forages were at or quickly approaching the time for harvesting high quality forage. This last week producers began taking advantage of the breaks in rain and getting some first cutting done. We observed some fields getting close to flowering; however, the height of alfalfa is the main driver of %NDF and not maturity stage. Some fields were beginning to lodge and alfalfa weevil feeding continues, which is a good reason to harvest alfalfa as soon as possible.

Field estimates of %NDF were again made this past week across the state. The PEAQ method of estimating %NDF has been a valuable tool for alfalfa producers to be alerted to the changing quality status of their alfalfa. If producers need more guidance on forage NDF targets for certain animal classes, there was a great article written two weeks ago and can be found here (scroll down on the page).

The following table indicates average stage, height, and %NDF values over the past few weeks across Ohio. These are average values from different fields, but one reporter noted this week that %NDF varied by as much as 5.5 units among fields, so it is important to check each field.