Dairy Prime Now
Great weather this week for hay growth resulted in grass increasing an average of 7 inches (2”-12”) and legumes up 4 inches (2”-7”). Fiber content (NDF) increased ⅔ point per day, with grasses averaging 52%, mixed stands 44%, and alfalfa 32%.
Grasses and Mixed stands are at target dairy quality. Beef producers can wait a week or two for most of their needs. Legume fields are still at least a week away from dairy quality.
Fiber Digestibility decreased a few points over the week, but remain in a favorable range, while TDN stayed the same.
Grass harvest is already started around the county, and dairy producers should be harvesting core grass fields as quickly as possible.
|
Estimated days from May 14 to Target Quality |
Beef | ||||
| Dairy | Growing Calf | Growing Yearling | Lactating Cow | Mature Dry Cow | |
| Grass | NOW | NOW | 7 -14 days | 14+ days | 14+ days |
| Mixed | NOW | NOW | 7 -14 days | 14+ days | 14+ days |
| Legume | 7-10 days | 7-10 days | 10-14 days | 14+ days | 14+ days |
A few things to keep in mind:
- Mow Wide – Mow into as wide a swath as possible to encourage rapid wilting, the longer it takes to dry down the more energy is lost to respiration.
- Pay attention to forage moisture (aka Dry Matter) – For bunkers shoot for 35% to 40% DM, for Bags a bit dryer, and for baleage between 50% and 60% DM is best
- Density matters – for bunkers, make sure you have adequate packing capacity, the faster the silage is coming in the more tins you need on the bunk, for balegae – dryer forage packs better, make bales as dense as possible.
- Cover/Wrap quickly – Get bunkers filled and cover as quickly as possible, wrap bales within 3 or 4 hours. Oxygen is the enemy of good silage, cover it quick and keep birds and rodents from spoiling the seal.
- Park the Corn Planter – get core hay acres harvested, then finish corn planting. The quality in your hay crop (1st and 2nd cutting) will offset any yield lost.
Stay safe and enjoy the hay harvest season.
Our next sample day will be Tuesday May 21.
| Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results | May 7 | May 14 | |||||||||
| Farm | Town | Elev | Species | Ht | aNDFom | NDFD | TDN | Ht | aNDFom | NDFD | TDN |
| Darling | Andes | 1560 | RedClov(60%)/TFesc | 13/20 | 32.3 | 47 | 70 | 20/20 | 32.7 | 57 | 67 |
| Darling | Andes | 1580 | Mixed Grasses | 12 | 47.2 | 63 | 70 | 21 | 48.7 | 61 | 76 |
| Eisele | Andes | 1412 | RClov(35%)/orch | 11 | 46.9 | 70 | 71 | 23 | 49.4 | 67 | 76 |
| Evans | Andes | 2065 | chart data | 16 | 50.8 | 72 | 75 | 26 | 54.9 | 67 | 75 |
| Gladstone | Andes | 1960 | Orch/Bome | 18 | 49.4 | 73 | 73 | 27 | 52.5 | 71 | 72 |
| Brannen | Bovina | 1840 | Mixed Grasses | 9 | 45.1 | 71 | 70 | 15 | 52.6 | 58 | 71 |
| Rossley | Bovina | 1680 | Mixed Grasses | na | 47.8 | 68 | 71 | na | 49.5 | 64 | 70 |
| Mattson | Colchester | 1080 | Alf(50%)/Tfesc | 15/17 | 31.3 | 50 | 72 | 19/22 | 43.2 | 51 | 72 |
| Grant | Davenport | 1285 | Alf(70%)/Grass | 13/14 | 31.1 | 55 | 70 | 19/23 | 42.7 | 67 | 69 |
| Frisbee | Delhi | 1380 | Mixed Grasses | 14 | 49.2 | 68 | 69 | 36 | 62.8 | 58 | 71 |
| Mushkoday | Delhi | 1340 | Alf(50%)/Tfesc | 15/20 | 29 | 56 | 72 | 13/22 | 30.8 | 52 | 73 |
| Rama | Delhi | 1400 | Mixed Grasses | 23 | 48.6 | 71 | 68 | 23 | 50.7 | 72 | 70 |
| Sherwood | Delhi | 1610 | Clov(20%)/grass | 8/18 | 47.8 | 64 | 70 | 12/22 | 50.6 | 61 | 68 |
| Sullivan | Delhi | 1425 | Orchardgrass | 24 | 49.6 | 70 | 71 | 32 | 58.4 | 64 | 68 |
| Buel | Franklin | 1260 | Orchardgrass | 27 | 49.6 | 66 | 71 | 36 | 50.3 | 69 | 71 |
| Grant | Franklin | 1650 | Mixed Grasses | 20 | 44.3 | 66 | 78 | 28 | 47.3 | 68 | 75 |
| Taggart | Franklin | 1720 | Mixed Grasses | 20 | 54.6 | 60 | 69 | na | 52.5 | 66 | 69 |
| DiBenedetto | Halcott | 1730 | Orchardgrass | 19 | 46.1 | 73 | 71 | 27 | 49.9 | 72 | 71 |
| Potter | Hamden | 2100 | Orchardgrass | 20 | 43.6 | 65 | 72 | 29 | 51.8 | 63 | 69 |
| Scobie | Hamden | 1480 | Mixed Grasses | 12 | 42.2 | 67 | 73 | 18 | 49.3 | 69 | 70 |
| Hillriegel | Hardenburgh | 1670 | Mixed Grasses | 15 | 47.5 | 71 | 68 | 21 | 50.6 | 73 | 72 |
| Hager | Kortright | 2000 | Mixed Grasses | 16 | 42 | 77 | 74 | 22 | 46.6 | 73 | 74 |
| Haynes | Kortright | 1865 | Orchardgrass | 16 | 50.9 | 68 | 74 | 21 | 49.1 | 59 | 71 |
| Scott | Masonville | 1615 | Reed Canarygrass | 20 | 48 | 65 | 68 | 24 | 53.3 | 65 | 66 |
| Scott | Masonville | 1650 | Clov(30%)/Fesc | 6/17 | 50.2 | 69 | 67 | 8/22 | 53.8 | 67 | 68 |
| Cieri | Meredith | 2300 | Orchardgrass | 18 | 46.4 | 75 | 70 | 23 | 48.1 | 74 | 71 |
| DeDominicis | Meredith | 2050 | Tall Fescue | 14 | 43.1 | 71 | 72 | 19 | 50.4 | 69 | 73 |
| Keator | Meredith | 1600 | Tall Fescue | 16 | 44.8 | 72 | 70 | 25 | 53.3 | 69 | 68 |
| Elliott | Middletown | 2060 | RCanary/Orch | 20 | 51.3 | 71 | 72 | 27 | 48.3 | 69 | 74 |
| Gray | Middletown | 2020 | Reed Canarygrass | 20 | 46.9 | 67 | 68 | 27 | 53.9 | 65 | 70 |
| Coombe | Neversink | 1420 | Mixed Grasses | 9 | 46.1 | 84 | 70 | 18 | 43 | 74 | 68 |
| Krum | Neversink | 1700 | Mixed Grasses | na | na | na | na | 9 | 46.7 | 67 | 74 |
| Albano | Roxbury | 1950 | Mixed Grasses | 10 | 42.5 | 73 | 74 | 18 | 44.4 | 71 | 72 |
| Gockel | Roxbury | 1890 | orchardgrass | 14 | 51.4 | 69 | 69 | 22 | 54 | 67 | 71 |
| Kuhn | Roxbury | 1980 | Meadow Foxtail | 21 | 48.2 | 65 | 69 | 31 | 61.6 | 57 | 67 |
| Perry | Roxbury | 1830 | Mixed Grasses | 14 | 48.3 | 73 | 67 | 24 | 50 | 68 | 67 |
| Johnson | Sidney | 1070 | Orchardgrass | 22 | 48 | 69 | 71 | 30 | 55.2 | 68 | 67 |
| Johnson | Sidney | 1030 | Alfalfa | 16 | 32.1 | 54 | 70 | 20 | 32.1 | 54 | 70 |
| Deysenroth | Stamford | 1495 | Mixed Grasses | 18 | 45.3 | 76 | 70 | 25 | 53.9 | 70 | 67 |
| Hanselman | Stamford | 1488 | Alfalfa | 15 | 29.5 | 62 | 71 | 19 | 31.6 | 51 | 73 |
| Martin | Stamford | 1560 | Alf(35%)/Orch | 12/22 | 39.6 | 71 | 70 | 17/28 | 41 | 71 | 71 |
| Melvin | Stamford | 2020 | Orchardgrass | 17 | 48.3 | 69 | 70 | 23 | 54.1 | 70 | 75 |
| Trovato | Stamford | 2200 | Clov(25%)/Grass | 8/18 | 49.1 | 73 | 67 | 12/25 | 54.8 | 62 | 72 |
| LaTourette | Tompkins | 1220 | Mixed Grasses | 19 | 53.9 | 67 | 65 | 24 | 58.7 | 67 | 71 |
| Walley | Tompkins | 1230 | Mixed Grasses | 24 | 52.3 | 69 | 72 | 29 | 59.7 | 69 | 68 |
| Wickham | Walton | 1240 | Orchardgrass | 24 | 51.1 | 70 | 72 | mowed | 54 | na | 64 |
| Grass | 18 | 47.8 | 69.8 | 70.8 | 24 | 51.9 | 67.2 | 70.7 | |||
| Mixed Grasses | – | 38.8 | 60.6 | 69.8 | – | 43.7 | 61.0 | 70.0 | |||
| Legume | 12 | 30.8 | 58.0 | 70.5 | 16 | 31.9 | 52.5 | 71.5 | |||