HomeAg & Natural ResourcesScissors Cut Results 5/18/2021
Scissor Cut Results 2021

Scissors Cut Results 5/18/2021

Warm and Growing; Mowers Going!

Rain or shine, the forages grow, and in the last week grasses grew on 4.25 inches, reaching an average of a 19 inch canopy height!  We even measured some Meadow Foxtail at 30 inches!   Legumes averaged nearly 14.5 inches, gaining over 2.5 inches since the previous week.    Grasses gained 0.5 points of aNDFom per day over the last week, reaching an average aNDFom of 47%; prime quality for lactating dairy cattle or for finishing grass-fed beef.  By now, these levels are likely in the low 50s, still excellent quality, but we would expect they would increase by about 3/4 to 1 point per day going forward and grass fields will move out of prime dairy quality before May 25.  Truly mixed grass/ legume (>30% legume) stands are now moving into the prime dairy quality harvest window, and should be harvested before May 28.   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.  Thus far this year, fiber digestibility appears excellent and should feed very well.

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 with higher Crude Protein levels.

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 Scissors Cuts Results May 11, 2021 May 18, 2021
Farm Town Elev Species Ht aNDFom NDFD 24 hr TDN Ht aNDFom NDFD 24 hr TDN
Darling Andes 1520 RClov(25%)/TFesc 7/11 31.9 81 74 8/14 34.7 80 76
Eisele Andes 1425 RClov(35%)/orch 7/17 39.1 70 72 8/22 43 68 75
Evans Andes 1810 Orchardgrass 15 45.3 70 73 24 48.2 74 75
Gladstone Andes 1990 R Clov(35%)Orch 10/16 42.6 71 73 10/22 44.4 68 75
Mattson Colchester 1080 Alf(50%)/TFesc 14/14 34.1 69 73 18/18 42.3 67 70
Frisbee Delhi 1380 mixed grass 11 48 70 72 12 55.9 57 71
Mushkoday Delhi 1340 Alf(70%)/RClov 16 27.5 70 74 21/23 36.4 54 68
Rama Delhi 1400 RClov(50%)/grass 10/17 33.9 68 77 12/22 41.3 67 78
Sherwood Delhi 1610 mixed grass 13 44.4 73 70 14 46.6 70 72
Sullivan Delhi 1425 mixed grass 15 44.3 69 71 10/20 35.3 53 70
Grant Franklin 1650 Orchardgrass 21 43.8 76 72 Cut 49.3 63 78
Taggart Franklin 1720 mixed grass 15 42.6 74 71 18 47.9 67 73
DiBenedetto Halcott 1730 Orchardgrass 19 42.9 75 71 25 48 64 71
Hutson Hamden 1275 Alfalfa 16 28.6 62 73 20 26.4 52 80
Moody Hamden 2100 mixed grass 14 42 77 74 15 45.6 77 76
Reed Hamden 1740 Orchardgrass 11 37.6 73 72 14 44.6 72 71
Scobie Hamden 1480 mixed grass 9 45.1 73 75 12 48.4 68 72
Hilriegel Hardenburgh 1670 Orchardgrass 18 48.8 72 68 22 46 69 72
Sebastian Kortright 1640 Orchard/RCanary 14 40.9 85 72 18 47.3 68 67
Cieri Meredith 2200 Orchardgrass 12 40.8 77 72 16 45.2 72 74
Elliot Middletown 2060 RCanary/Orchard 19 46.8 69 71 26 49.2 69 70
Gray Middletown 1910 Reed Canarygrass 18 45.9 70 71 27 49.9 66 68
Albano Roxbury 1760 mixed grass 13 43.5 72 72 12 46.3 68 70
Gockel Roxbury 1680 mixed grass 18 43.2 72 71 22 52.4 65 69
Kuhn Roxbury 1980 mixed grass 15 44.3 73 71 30 52.8 72 67
Perry Roxbury 1830 mixed grass 10 45.2 69 72 Cut 45.7 61 71
Johnson Sidney 1070 Alfalfa 12 29.4 68 75 15 26.9 52 76
Johnson Sidney 1070 Orchardgrass 22 46.2 71 73 28 51.4 68 70
Deysenroth Stamford 1495 mixed grass 14 38.5 80 72 16 43.4 69 70
Hanselman Stamford 1500 Alfalfa 12 25.9 67 75 16 30.1 52 72
Ryan Stamford 1800 mixed grass 11 46.1 70 72 13 47.4 68 72
Trovato Stamford 2080 mixed grass 12 43.9 70 71 14 43.4 68 69
LaTourette Tompkins 1210 Alf(20%)/grass 13/17 49.4 68 71 15/19 40.5 68 71
Marsiglio Walton 1750 Orchardgrass 12 44.6 74 72 16 43.1 68 72
Wickham,B Walton 1170 Alf(60%)/Orch 13/22 47.1 72 72 17/26 34 68 73
Wickham,D Walton 1240 Alf(45%)/Orch 14/18 33.9 74 72 17/20 40.7 72 72
Boest Kortright 1815 Rclov(40%)/TFesc 10/13 38.3 67 72 13/18 35.5 60 73
Average, Grass 44 73 72 47 68 71
Average, Mixed 37 73 74 40 68 73
Avg., Legume 28 65 74 29 51 75

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