HomeAg & Natural ResourcesScissor Cut Results 5/11/2021
Scissor Cut Results 2021

Scissor Cut Results 5/11/2021

Get Set — Go

The old timers always said , “a cold wet May is a barn full of hay”.  Cold and wet is a good description of our May so far, but don’t let this cool start lull you into thinking hay maturity is behind.  Grass height and fiber content are very near the long term average for this week in May.  As is often the case, NDF levels decreased slightly since last week, but we would expect they would increase by about 3/4 to 1 point per day going forward.  Assuming 1 point per day increase in NDF, and a dairy quality target starting point of 50% NDF, we would predict grass fields will, on average, hit target NDF on May 17, Mixed stands are close behind at May 19, and legume stands are more than a week away from target NDF.

Don’t Miss the Digestibility

With grain prices in the stratosphere, highly digestible forages will be as important as ever for profitable dairy rations.  Take advantage of any good weather windows to harvest at optimal quality.  Even with very high fertilizer prices, you may want to consider an application of nitrogen (50#/acre should do) to boost second cutting yields and ensure a good inventory of high digestible forage.

A Reminder on Cutting Height

Don’t mow too short.  We recommend a cutting height of about 4 inches.  Grasses regrow using energy stored in the base of stems and leaves, cutting too short will delay regrowth and lower yields in the next cutting.

Sample Results

The Table below has each sample location, listed by Town and elevation, and lists the species sampled, average height, Neutral Detergent Fiber (aNDFom), Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility (NDFD), and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN). Look for fields with similar species and elevation to your farm, and consider your target NDF/TDN for the animals you will be feeding.  Growing beef animals can benefit from high TDN/lower fiber forage, and mature dry beef cows will do best on high fiber/lower TDN hay.

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results May 4, 2021 May 11, 2021
Farm Town Elev Species Ht aNDFom NDFD TDN Ht aNDFom NDFD TDN
Darling Andes 1520 RClov(25%)/TFesc 6/11 41.5 82 71 7/11 31.9 81 74
Eisele Andes 1425 RClov(35%)/orch 5/11 43.8 72 71 7/17 39.1 70 72
Evans Andes 1810 Orchardgrass 13 45.4 72 73 15 45.3 70 73
Gladstone Andes 1990 R Clov(35%)Orch 7/12 43.7 73 71 10/16 42.6 71 73
Mattson Colchester 1080 Alf(50%)/TFesc 12/12 39.8 66 69 14/14 34.1 69 73
Frisbee Delhi 1380 mixed grass 10 49.1 66 67 11 48 70 72
Mushkoday Delhi 1340 Alf(70%)/RClov 11 25.6 69 74 16 27.5 70 74
Rama Delhi 1400 RClov(50%)/grass 8/13 42.5 66 71 10/17 33.9 68 77
Sherwood Delhi 1610 mixed grass 9 47.2 70 68 13 44.4 73 70
Sullivan Delhi 1425 mixed grass 10 47.1 64 70 15 44.3 69 71
Buel Franklin 1260 Alf(50%)/Orch 10/15 39.0 72 70 14/19 30.9 74 76
Grant Franklin 1650 Orchardgrass 17 48.5 71 73 21 43.8 76 72
Taggart Franklin 1720 mixed grass 13 47.5 70 69 15 42.6 74 71
DiBenedetto Halcott 1730 Orchardgrass 15 48.6 75 71 19 42.9 75 71
Hutson Hamden 1275 Alfalfa 12 27.7 64 71 16 28.6 62 73
Moody Hamden 2100 mixed grass 9 39.7 71 74 14 42 77 74
Reed Hamden 1740 Orchardgrass 10 45.7 69 70 11 37.6 73 72
Scobie Hamden 1480 mixed grass 7 46.0 73 70 9 45.1 73 75
Hilriegel Hardenburgh 1670 Orchardgrass 14 50.1 71 71 18 48.8 72 68
Hager Kortright 2000 RClov(20%)/MFesc 7/11 39.1 79 74 9/14 38.3 85 75
Sebastian Kortright 1640 Orchard/RCanary 11 42.4 80 72 14 40.9 85 72
Cieri Meredith 2200 Orchardgrass 9 42.6 77 72 12 40.8 77 72
Keator Meredith 1660 Tall Fescue 11 75.0 75 70 14 41.2 76 72
Elliot Middletown 2060 RCanary/Orchard 13 50.0 70 67 19 46.8 69 71
Gray Middletown 1910 Reed Canarygrass 15 47.9 68 67 18 45.9 70 71
Coombe Neversink 1420 Tall Fescue 12 48.8 67 68 14 43.3 71 72
Albano Roxbury 1760 mixed grass 9 46.4 73 70 13 43.5 72 72
Gockel Roxbury 1680 mixed grass 12 47.4 69 70 18 43.2 72 71
Kuhn Roxbury 1980 mixed grass 10 47.2 71 71 15 44.3 73 71
Perry Roxbury 1830 mixed grass 8 46.8 67 69 10 45.2 69 72
Johnson Sidney 1070 Alfalfa 10 30.5 59 72 12 29.4 68 75
Johnson Sidney 1070 Orchardgrass 18 50.7 70 71 22 46.2 71 73
Deysenroth Stamford 1495 mixed grass 11 40.1 72 74 14 38.5 80 72
Hanselman Stamford 1500 Alfalfa 11 26.5 58 74 12 25.9 67 75
Ryan Stamford 1800 mixed grass 9 45.6 70 70 11 46.1 70 72
Trovato Stamford 2080 mixed grass 8 42.4 67 72 12 43.9 70 71
LaTourette Tompkins 1210 Alf(20%)/grass 10/13 45.8 72 70 13/17 49.4 68 71
Marsiglio Walton 1750 Orchardgrass 8 45.3 70 71 12 44.6 74 72
Wickham,B Walton 1170 Alf(60%)/Orch 11/17 38.3 72 70 13/22 47.1 72 72
Wickham,D Walton 1240 Alf(45%)/Orch 12/15 28.3 72 72 14/18 33.9 74 72
Boest Kortright 1815 RClov(40%)/TFesc – – – – 10/13 38.3 67 72

Dairy One forage lab logo

For 2021 we are reporting several measures of forage quality.  Different types and groups of cattle have different demands and each measure tells a slightly different story.  If harvesting for dairy forage, we suggest harvesting based on NDF, for beef choose and appropriate TDN target or the animals you will be feeding.

aNDFom – Neutral Detergent Fiber (organic matter or “ash free” basis) is a measure of the structural fiber in a feed sample. NDF correlates well with how much forage a cow can eat (gut fill). Earlier cut hay = lower NDF = higher dry matter intake = higher performance.

NDF goals for Dairy Cattle Forage:  Grass hay and silage  – 48 – 55%, MMG hay & silage – 45 – 50%, MML hay & silage – 38 – 45%, Legume hay & silage – 36 – 42%

NDFD – NDF Digestibility As forage plants mature, the fiber percentage increases, and at the same time the digestibility of the fiber decreases.  NDFD measures the digestibility of fiber by rumen fluid.  We report 24hr NDFD as an indicator of forage digestibility.  Higher digestibility = more energy available from a forage.

TDN – Total Digestible Nutrients The sum of the digestible fiber, protein, lipid, and carbohydrate components. TDN is a measure of energy available from forage and is related to digestible energy.  TDN is useful for beef cow rations that are primarily forage.  Higher TDN values indicate higher energy available, cattle groups with higher energy demands require higher TDN intakes.

TDN goals for Beef Cattle Forage: Growing Calf (2lb ADG) 70 – 72, Growing Yearling (2lb ADG) 64 – 66, Lactating Beef Cow 60 – 64, Mature Dry Cow 52 – 55