Forage Maturity Across Ohio

By Jason Hartschuh

While the year started with slower growing degree accumulation the warm weather over the last couple of weeks, has rapidly progressed forage maturity. Harvesting forages at the proper time for the livestock you are feeding is critical to farm profitability. Poor quality forages must be supplemented to maintain livestock. In the southern part of the state, some forage grasses are in head while in the northern part of the state, barnyard grass is in head. Most are still in the vegetative stage but will be in head within a week, even though they do not look tall enough to be in head.

Winter annual cereal grains for forages may also be more mature than they look from the field edge. In the southern half of the state, heads are starting to emerge, while in the northern part, the flag leaf of cereal rye has emerged. Scouting these forages is critical, as.