By Pam Bryer
Maximizing forage production on every acre is one of the most effective ways regional dairy farms can drive milk output. University of Vermont Extension researchers, including Dr. Heather Darby, have demonstrated the agronomic and economic benefits of "double-cropping" or planting winter grains immediately following corn silage harvest. For more background, watch this UVM Extension Cover Crop Field Discussion to see how regional agronomists discuss the soil health benefits of these double crop systems.
Watch an episode of 'Across the Fence' discussing cover cropping here.
UVM trials show that drilling small grains like winter rye or triticale in the fall can yield significant high-quality forage the following spring, with triticale frequently averaging 17% crude protein and sometimes spiking as high as 22% while delivering high neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFd) to drive total digestible nutrients. For a modest seeding investment, this practice can deliver strong feed value while also protecting soil health, recycling manure nutrients, and cutting erosion.
But before you plan to harvest or graze that cover crop, there's an important question to work through and unfortunately, there isn't a simple, one-size-fits-all answer. Whether a winter cover crop can legally be fed or grazed depends on the specific herbicide label you used on the summer’s crop, the specific cover crop you planted, and exactly how and by whom that forage will be used. Get any one of those three details wrong, and a perfectly good stand of rye or triticale can turn into a compliance problem.
Source : vermont.gov