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May 21, 2024 Forage Quality Scissors Cut Results

Better Hurry ‘Cause it’s Goin Fast

We had another week of nice weather, and hay fields are growing like mad. Most farms have started first cutting, and it’s a good thing since maturity is ahead of normal. Yields look good, but quality will likely be

		Beef
	Dairy	Growing Calf	Growing Yearling	Lactating Cow	Mature Dry Cow
Grass	PAST	PAST	NOW	7 days	10-14 days
Mixed	PAST	PAST	NOW	7 days	10-14 days
Legume	7 days	7 days	7 days	7-10 days	10-14 days

lower than what you experienced last year.
Grass jumped an average of 9 inches (3”-16”) and legumes grew 8 inches (6”-10”). Grass fiber content (NDF) increased almost 1 point per day, with grasses averaging 61%, mixed stands 51%, and alfalfa 35%. All the grasses are heading, which means that not only is fiber content increasing every day, but fiber digestibility is also decreasing just as rapidly.

Grasses and mixed stands are past dairy quality. Legume fields should reach dairy quality next week. Beef producers can wait a week or two for most of their needs.
Dairy producers should be harvesting core grass/mixed fields as quickly as possible and preparing to harvest alfalfa next week.

Keep the Corn Planter Parked until your core hay acres are harvested. Hay is declining in quality rapidly and focusing your efforts this week to harvest quality forage will bring the biggest return.
Harvested fields are re-growing quickly. Remember, second cut yields can be almost equal to first on early cut fields. Plan and prepare now to start second cut 30-35 days after first cut, even if all your first cut is not complete. NDF in second cut increases almost as fast as in first cut, even though the plants aren’t heading.
Stay safe and enjoy the hay harvest season.

Our next sample day will be Tuesday May 28

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results				May 14				May 21
Farm	Town	Elev	Species	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN
Darling	Andes	1560	RedClov(60%)/TFesc	20/20	32.7	57	67	28/30	40.9	49	70
Darling	Andes	1580	Mixed Grasses	21	48.7	61	76	30	53.1	55	70
Eisele	Andes	1412	RClov(35%)/orch	23	49.4	67	76	33	58.4	64	69
Evans	Andes	2065	Orchardgrass	26	54.9	67	75	38	65.3	60	69
Gladstone	Andes	1960	Orch/Bome	27	52.5	71	72	37	61.1	61	65
Brannen	Bovina	1840	Mixed Grasses	15	52.6	58	71	24	62.2	60	67
Rossley	Bovina	1680	Mixed Grasses	na	49.5	64	70	24	63.2	61	68
Mattson	Colchester	1080	Alf(50%)/Tfesc	19/22	43.2	51	72	27/36	49.0	54	68
Grant	Davenport	1285	Alf(70%)/Grass	19/23	42.7	67	69	mowed	54.4	68	68
Frisbee	Delhi	1380	Mixed Grasses	36	62.8	58	71	42	60.3	58	72
Mushkoday	Delhi	1340	Alf(50%)/Tfesc	13/22	30.8	52	73	hvstd	–	–	–
Rama	Delhi	1400	Mixed Grasses	23	50.7	72	70	mowed	60.5	58	68
Sherwood	Delhi	1610	Clov(20%)/grass	12/22	50.6	61	68	hvstd	–	–	–
Sullivan	Delhi	1425	Orchardgrass	32	58.4	64	68	40	66.4	57	66
Buel	Franklin	1260	Orchardgrass	36	50.3	69	71	hvstd	–	–	–
Grant	Franklin	1650	Mixed Grasses	28	47.3	68	75	hvstd	–	–	–
Taggart	Franklin	1720	Mixed Grasses	na	52.5	66	69	34	59.0	61	69
DiBenedetto	Halcott	1730	Orchardgrass	27	49.9	72	71	mowed	62.8	64	66
Potter	Hamden	2100	Orchardgrass	29	51.8	63	69	36	54.3	57	69
Scobie	Hamden	1480	Mixed Grasses	18	49.3	69	70	30	58.0	62	66
Hillriegel	Hardenburgh	1670	Mixed Grasses	21	50.6	73	72	27	58.1	62	71
Hager	Kortright	2000	Mixed Grasses	22	46.6	73	74	hvstd	–	–	–
Haynes	Kortright	1865	Orchardgrass	21	49.1	59	71	mowed	60.7	61	70
Scott	Masonville	1615	Reed Canarygrass	24	53.3	65	66	38	63.3	61	65
Scott	Masonville	1650	Clov(30%)/Fesc	8/22	53.8	67	68	16/38	56.7	61	71
Cieri	Meredith	2300	Orchardgrass	23	48.1	74	71	hvstd	–	–	–
DeDominicis	Meredith	2050	Tall Fescue	19	50.4	69	73	32	58.7	61	67
Keator	Meredith	1600	Tall Fescue	25	53.3	69	68	37	64.5	59	63
Elliott	Middletown	2060	RCanary/Orch	27	48.3	69	74	mowed	64.6	63	64
Gray	Middletown	2020	Reed Canarygrass	27	53.9	65	70	mowed	60.2	59	67
Coombe	Neversink	1420	Mixed Grasses	18	43.0	74	68	28	57.4	59	70
Krum	Neversink	1700	Mixed Grasses	9	46.7	67	74	15	56.4	55	70
Albano	Roxbury	1950	Mixed Grasses	18	44.4	71	72	hvstd	–	–	–
Gockel	Roxbury	1890	orchardgrass	22	54.0	67	71	mowed	56.8	54	68
Kuhn	Roxbury	1980	Meadow Foxtail	31	61.6	57	67	38	63.7	50	67
Perry	Roxbury	1830	Mixed Grasses	24	50.0	68	67	27	61.1	62	69
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Orchardgrass	30	55.2	68	67	40	61.6	62	70
Johnson	Sidney	1030	Alfalfa	20	32.1	54	70	30	34.9	47	69
Deysenroth	Stamford	1495	Mixed Grasses	25	53.9	70	67	33	61.7	62	68
Hanselman	Stamford	1488	Alfalfa	19	31.6	51	73	27	34.5	46	70
Martin	Stamford	1560	Alf(35%)/Orch	17/28	41.0	71	71	23/35	42.4	55	69
Melvin	Stamford	2020	Orchardgrass	23	54.1	70	75	mowed	58.0	58	67
Trovato	Stamford	2200	Clov(25%)/Grass	12/25	54.8	62	72	18/32	60.4	63	69
LaTourette	Tompkins	1220	Mixed Grasses	24	58.7	67	71	31	66.8	59	67
Walley	Tompkins	1230	Mixed Grasses	29	59.7	69	68	36	59.5	55	70
			Grass	24	51.9	67.2	70.7	33	60.6	59.3	68
			Mixed Grasses	–	43.7	61.0	70.0	–	50.6	58.3	69
			Legume	16	31.9	52.5	71.5	24	34.7	46.5	69

NDF – Neutral Detergent Fiber 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 – 40 – 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. Grasses inherently have a higher NDF digestibility than legumes.
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.

Forage Quality Scissors Cut Results May 14, 2024

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
Estimated days from May 14 to Target Quality	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

Forage Quality Scissors Cut Results May 7, 2024 – Time to Begin

Grass and legumes grew rapidly this week gaining an average of 6 inches (2 – 13 inches) but as expected fiber content, fiber digestibility and TDN only changed slightly. NDF this week averaged 47.8% for grass, 38.8% for mixed stands, and 30.8% for alfalfa; going forward we would expect NDF to increase by ¾ to 1% per day. We predict that grasses (at least the most advanced fields) will reach the dairy quality target NDF of 50% NDF next week. Mixed stands with less than 50% legume will be ready in a similar time, higher legume content mixed stand will be a few days later, pure legume stands are probably 2 weeks till they reach target NDF. See the chart below for results from each sample location.

		Beef
	Dairy	Growing Calf	Growing Yearling	Lactating Cow	Mature Dry Cow
Grass	7 days	7 days	7 -14 days	14+ days	14+ days
Mixed	7 -10 days	7 -10 days	7 -14 days	14+ days	14+ days
Legume	10+ days	10+ days	10-14 days	14+ days	14+ days

Harvest Thoughts
• Cutting Height: We recommend a 4-inch mowing height for all hay crops, especially grasses. Grass energy reserves are stored in the base of the plant, removing too much will delay regrowth and reduce season yield.
• Dry Matter Matters: Wet silage promotes improper fermentation and can turn great forage into something that is hard to feed. Do your best to get baleage at 40% DM (at least 35%).
• Silage in a Day?: Drying rates will likely be a challenge this spring. Consider wide swathing, and even tedding, to maximize drying rate and to squeeze in a few extra acres between showers.
• Mud is not Forage: Wet fields are problematic this spring. Pay close attention to adjustment of rakes and pickup heads to avoid mixing soil into forage. Soil contamination can cause bad fermentation, especially with wetter silages.

You can view a pdf of todays report here.

Looks like it’s time for the mowers to start moving, stay safe and enjoy the hay harvest season.
Our next sample day will be Tuesday May 14.

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results				April 30				May 7
Farm	Town	Elev	Species	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN
Eisele	Andes	1412	RClov(35%)/orch	5	na	na	na	11	46.9	70	71
Darling	Andes	1560	RedClov(60%)/TFesc	7	44.2	64	70	13/20	32.3	47	70
Darling	Andes	1580	Mixed Grasses	7	na	na	na	12
Gladstone	Andes	1960	Orch/Bome	12	44.1	69	69	18	49.4	73	73
Evans	Andes	2065	Orchardgrass	13	44.3	74	70	16	50.8	72	75
Brannen	Bovina	1840	Mixed Grasses	8	46.8	77	69	9	46.0	69	70
Mattson	Colchester	1080	Alf(50%)/Tfesc	na	na	na	na	15/17	31.3	50	72
Grant	Davenport	1285	Alf(70%)/Grass	na	na	na	na	13/14	31.1	55	70
Mushkoday	Delhi	1340	Alf(50%)/Tfesc	7/12	46.9	71	67	15/20	29.0	56	72
Frisbee	Delhi	1380	Mixed Grasses	20	52.9	67	67	14	49.2	68	69
Rama	Delhi	1400	Mixed Grasses	16	49.4	74	67	23	48.6	71	68
Sullivan	Delhi	1425	Orchardgrass	21	49.9	76	68	24	49.6	70	71
Sherwood	Delhi	1610	Clov(20%)/grass	3/11	45.4	73	68	8/18	47.8	64	70
Buel	Franklin	1260	Orchardgrass	18	42.9	79	71	27	49.6	66	71
Grant	Franklin	1650	Mixed Grasses	14	38.9	73	76	20	44.3	66	78
Taggart	Franklin	1720	Mixed Grasses	15	47.8	70	67	20	54.6	60	69
DiBenedetto	Halcott	1730	Orchardgrass	12	46.4	78	69	19	46.1	73	71
Scobie	Hamden	1480	Mixed Grasses	8	Na	na	na	12	42.2	67	73
Potter	Hamden	2100	Orchardgrass	11	45.9	69	70	20	43.6	65	72
Hillriegel	Hardenburgh	1670	Mixed Grasses	9	44.6	69	70	15	47.5	71	68
Haynes	Kortright	1865	Orchardgrass	13	49.9	72	67	16	50.9	68	74
Hager	Kortright	2000	Mixed Grasses	11	40.4	82	76	16	42.0	77	74
Scott	Masonville	1615	Reed Canarygrass	16	46.1	70	68	20	48.0	65	68
Scott	Masonville	1650	Clov(30%)/Fesc	4/11	51.1	71	65	6/17	50.2	69	67
Keator	Meredith	1600	Tall Fescue	12	46.7	72	68	16	44.8	72	70
DeDominicis	Meredith	2050	Tall Fescue	10	43.4	75	72	14	43.1	71	72
Cieri	Meredith	2300	Orchardgrass	12	41.5	71	74	18	46.4	75	70
Gray	Middletown	2020	Reed Canarygrass	15	51.3	74	64	20	46.9	67	68
Elliott	Middletown	2060	RCanary/Orch	na	na	na	na	20	51.3	71	72
Coombe	Neversink	1420	Mixed Grasses	7	46.3	73	70	9	46.1	84	70
Perry	Roxbury	1830	Mixed Grasses	12	52.6	71	62	14	48.3	73	67
Gockel	Roxbury	1890	orchardgrass	9	45.3	71	71	14	51.4	69	69
Albano	Roxbury	1950	Mixed Grasses	8	na	na	na	10	42.5	73	74
Kuhn	Roxbury	1980	Meadow Foxtail	10	46.7	69	70	21	48.2	65	69
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Orchardgrass	17	44.8	71	73	22	48.0	69	71
Johnson	Sidney	1030	Alfalfa	na	na	na	na	16	32.1	54	70
Hanselman	Stamford	1488	Alfalfa	na	na	na	na	15	29.5	62	71
Deysenroth	Stamford	1495	Mixed Grasses	13	41.9	73	77	18	45.3	76	70
Martin	Stamford	1560	Alf(35%)/Orch	8/14	35.9	73	73	12/22	39.6	71	70
Trovato	Stamford	2200	Clov(25%)/Grass	12	46.4	72	72	8/18	49.1	73	67
Melvin	Stamford	2020	Orchardgrass	11	52.6	74	68	17	48.3	69	70
LaTourette	Tompkins	1220	Mixed Grasses	14	48.6	70	70	19	53.9	67	65
Walley	Tompkins	1230	Mixed Grasses	17	47.3	76	67	24	52.3	69	72
Wickham	Walton	1240	Orchardgrass	17	47.1	76	68	24	51.1	70	72
			Av Grass	12.1	46.3	73.0	69.6	17.8	47.8	70.0	70.8
			Av Mixed	–	45.0	70.7	69.2	–	38.8	60.6	69.8
			Av Legume	5.8	–	–	–	12.1	30.8	58.0	70.5

April 30, 2024 Forage Quality Scissors Cut Results

Early Start

Welcome to the first Forage Quality Scissors Cut report for 2024. The CCE and WAC Team sampled 40 sites in Delaware County and the NYC Watershed on April 30, a little earlier than normal. Grass is growing like gangbusters and was already at the average height for the first week of May.
The chart of grass height over the years shows what most of us already know, no two springs are alike, and if there is a trend, I think it is toward more variability. The key to successfully managing through the ciaos, is having everything prepared and being nimble and ready to act when the conditions are right.
The grass fields tested in the mid to high 40s NDF (Neutral Detergent Fiber) this week, a little higher than we expected since we recommend starting harvest at 50% NDF for dairy quality. (See chart below) Early May fiber samples can be misleading, however, often the second week samples will be the same NDF or even lower. We do not expect any fields to be at optimum harvest quality in the next week.
Looking at our scissor cut records from 2008 -2023 the average date for grasses to reach 50% NDF has been May 19, but the range is fairly wide from the earliest May 10 (2012), to the latest May 25 (2020 & 2023). We will sample every Tuesday, send the samples to Diary One lab for NIR analysis, and plan to send results on Thursdays. Our next sample day will be May 7, 2024.
A note on early harvest of grasses. As grasses grow and start the heading process, the growing point is at the top of the stem as it elongates. If plants are cut before the growing point is above the cutting height, the cut plant will continue to push the seed head up, with few leaves, resulting in couple weeks with a field that looks like all heads. When this happens, the grass will eventually fill in, but quality will be reduced. This is something to consider if you are cutting very early. You can split a few grass stems and see the length of the developing stem, if the growing point is lower than cutting height you may want to wait a day or two to avoid rapid heading of the regrowth.
Reminder: Check mower cutting height settings. Grasses store energy reserves in the base of the stem, cutting too low can remove the reserves the plants need to start regrowth quickly. Setting cutting height to 4 inches is a good practice to ensure heathier plants and quicker regrowth.
Looks like we might have the making of a good cropping season, let’s make the most of it.

Farm	Town	Elevation	Species	Ht (in)	aNDFom	NDFD 24hr	TDN
Eisele	Andes	1412	RClov(35%)/orch	5	na	na	na
Darling	Andes	1560	RedClov(60%)/TFesc	7	44.2	64	70
Darling	Andes	1580	Mixed Grasses	7	na	na	na
Gladstone	Andes	1960	Orch/Bome	12	44.1	69	69
Evans	Andes	2065	Orchardgrass	13	44.3	74	70
Brannen	Bovina	1840	Mixed Grasses	8	46.8	77	69
Mushkoday Farm	Delhi	1340	Alf(50%)/Tfesc	7/12	46.9	71	67
Frisbee	Delhi	1380	Mixed Grasses	20	52.9	67	67
Rama	Delhi	1400	Mixed Grasses	16	49.4	74	67
Sullivan	Delhi	1425	Orchardgrass	21	49.9	76	68
Sherwood	Delhi	1610	Clov(20%)/grass	3/11	45.4	73	68
Buel	Franklin	1260	Orchardgrass	18	42.9	79	71
Grant	Franklin	1650	Mixed Grasses	14	38.9	73	76
Taggart	Franklin	1720	Mixed Grasses	15	47.8	70	67
DiBenedetto	Halcott	1730	Orchardgrass	12	46.4	78	69
Scobie	Hamden	1480	Mixed Grasses	8	na	na	na
Potter	Hamden	2100	Orchardgrass	11	45.9	69	70
Hillriegel	Hardenburgh	1670	Mixed Grasses	9	44.6	69	70
Haynes	Kortright	1865	Orchardgrass	13	49.9	72	67
Hager	Kortright	2000	Mixed Grasses	11	40.4	82	76
Scott	Masonville	1615	Reed Canarygrass	16	46.1	70	68
Scott	Masonville	1650	Clov(30%)/Fesc	4/11	51.1	71	65
Keator	Meredith	1600	Tall Fescue	12	46.7	72	68
DeDominicis	Meredith	2050	Tall Fescue	10	43.4	75	72
Cieri	Meredith	2300	Orchardgrass	12	41.5	71	74
Gray	Middletown	2020	Reed Canarygrass	15	51.3	74	64
Coombe	Neversink	1420	Mixed Grasses	7	46.3	73	70
Krum	Neversink	1700	Mixed Grasses	5	41.6	75	71
Perry	Roxbury	1830	Mixed Grasses	12	52.6	71	62
Gockel	Roxbury	1890	orchardgrass	9	45.3	71	71
Albano	Roxbury	1950	Mixed Grasses	8	na	na	na
Kuhn	Roxbury	1980	Meadow Foxtail	10	46.7	69	70
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Orchardgrass	17	44.8	71	73
Deysenroth	Stamford	1495	Mixed Grasses	13	41.9	73	77
Martin	Stamford	1560	Alf(35%)/Orch	8/14	35.9	73	73
Trovato	Stamford	2200	Clov(25%)/Grass	12	46.4	72	72
Melvin	Stamford	2020	Orchardgrass	11	52.6	74	68
LaTourette	Tompkins	1220	Mixed Grasses	14	48.6	70	70
Walley	Tompkins	1230	Mixed Grasses	17	47.3	76	67
Wickham	Walton	1240	Orchardgrass	17	47.1	76	68

Scissors Cuts 5/30/2023

Dry Weather, Slow Changes

With continued dry weather this week, grass and legume growth was variable, some fields had no change in height while others gained 8 inches. Many grasses are heading, but some fields are maturing a little more slowly than expected, alfalfa is bud stage. Even with slower growth we would expect grasses be rapidly heading and legumes to continue to early bloom stage this week.
Grasses and mixed stands are past prime dairy quality this week. Legumes are arriving at peak quality and will likely pass prime this week as well. All fields are at target quality for growing yearlings and lactating beef cows. Producers looking for forage for mature dry beef cows should wait at least another week.
Grass fiber content changed at a more normal pace this week, advancing about ¾ point per day, legume fiber increased more slowly. Fiber digestibility (NDFD) continued a steady pace downward decreasing another 4½ points during the week.

Estimated days from 5/30 to reach target quality for classes of cattle

		Beef
	Dairy	Growing Calf	Growing Yearling	Lactating Cow	Mature Dry Cow
Grass	Past	Past	NOW	NOW	7-10 Days
Mixed	Past	Past	NOW	NOW	7-10 Days
Legume	NOW	Past	NOW	NOW	7-10 Days

The Table below has each sample location, listed by Town and elevation, and lists the species sampled, average height, Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility (NDFD), and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN). We have sampled grass, legume and mixed legume/grass fields across the county and at elevations from 1070 to 2240 feet. Look for locations with similar forage type and elevation to your farm.

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results				May 23, 2023				May 30, 2023
Farm	Town	Elev	Species	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN
Darling	Andes	1505	Red Clover	22	30.2	52	66	24	33.1	50	68
Eisele	Andes	1412	Orchardgrass	21	45.4	68	68	22	50.7	63	67
Evans	Andes	2240	Mixed Grasses	13	48	65	66	13	55	60	66
Gladstone	Andes	1960	RClov(35%)Grass	13/22	41.4	56	68	mowed	40.7	60	67
Mattson	Colchester	1080	Alf(60%)Tfesc	29/32	42.6	54	63	35/38	44.4	49	65
Frisbee	Delhi	1380	Mixed Grasses	29	49.8	60	68	34	53.1	61	66
Mushkoday	Delhi	1340	Alfalfa	25	36.3	54	65	28	35.2	44	66
Rama	Delhi	1400	Clov(25%)Grass	17/27	51.3	67	66	20/35	56.2	60	63
Scobie	Hamden	1490	Mixed Grasses	13	43	62	69	12	48	58	69
Hillriegel	Hardenburgh	1670	Orchardgrass	19	50.9	65	67	21	53.3	60	67
DeDominicis	Meredith	2100	Orchardgrass	15	42.9	73	66	17	48.2	66	64
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Alfalfa	28	39	46	64		35.6	44	66
Hanselman	Stamford	1488	Alfalfa	21	37.3	55	64	25	36.4	51	65
Ryan	Stamford	1800	Mixed Grasses	17	44.3	67	66	12/21	48.1	61	67
LaTourette	Tompkins	1210	Clov(25%)Grass	18/22	50.2	65	65	20/28	53.8	54	66
			Av Grass	19.5	48.8	64.7	66.5	24.1	50.9	62.0	67.0
			Av Mixed	–	46.7	61.3	65.8	–	48.8	55.8	65.3
			Av Legume	23.6	38.7	51.6	65.6	25.3	35.1	47.3	66.3

We report 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 an appropriate TDN target or the animals you will be feeding
NDF – Neutral Detergent Fiber 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 – 40 – 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. Grasses inherently have a higher NDF digestibility than legumes.
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.

Scissors Cut Report 5/23/2023

Still Dairy Prime

Grass quality is at prime quality, and mixed hay was still in the target zone for dairy quality at sampling this week, although we would expect it to advance past prime next week. Legume quality is reaching dairy quality stage and will be ready to harvest this week as well. It is also go time for harvesting hay for growing beef. Producers looking for forage for mature beef cows, lactating or dry, should wait at least another week.

Estimated days from 5/23 to reach target quality for classes of cattle.

		Beef
	Dairy	Growing Calf	Growing Yearling	Lactating Cow	Mature Dry Cow
Grass	NOW	NOW	NOW	7-10 days	14+ days
Mixed	NOW	NOW	NOW	7-10 days	14+ days
Legume	NOW	NOW	NOW	7-10 days	14+ days

Hay grew modestly taller this week gaining on the average less than five inches. Grass fiber changed more slowly than normal, only advancing about ½ point per day, legume fiber increased at a more normal rate of 1¼ points per day. Fiber digestibility (NDFD) decreased 4½ points during the week. Orchardgrass and other earlier maturing grasses are starting to head this week. As grasses produce heads, they will grow rapidly in height, but fiber content (aNDFom) will increase and fiber digestibility (NDFD) will go down just as fast. Energy (TDN) also decreases as plants mature and cell walls thicken and become more “woody”.

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). We have sampled grass, legume and mixed legume/grass fields across the county and at elevations from 1070 to 2240 feet. Look for locations with similar forage type and elevation to your farm.

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results				May 16, 2023				May 23, 2023
Farm	Town	Elev	Species	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN
Darling	Andes	1505	Red Clover	17	29.1	54	74	22	30.2	52	66
Darling	Andes	1500	Mixed Grasses	18	40.5	73	69	18	42.4	65	67
Eisele	Andes	1412	Orchardgrass	17	45	70	67	21	45.4	68	68
Evans	Andes	2240	Mixed Grasses	13	45.3	66	70	13	48	65	66
Gladstone	Andes	1960	RClov(35%)Grass	10/15	42.5	69	68	13/22	41.4	56	68
Mattson	Colchester	1080	Alf(60%)Tfesc	24/25	41.5	61	64	29/32	42.6	54	63
Frisbee	Delhi	1380	Mixed Grasses	26	44.7	68	68	29	49.8	60	68
Mushkoday	Delhi	1340	Alfalfa	19	26.9	56	71	25	36.3	54	65
Rama	Delhi	1400	Clov(25%)Grass	13/23	45.7	71	65	17/27	51.3	67	66
Sherwood	Delhi	1610	Mixed Grasses	19	47.3	69	72	25	52.1	63	64
Sullivan	Delhi	1425	Orchardgrass	19	45.2	67	68	25	48.8	66	65
Grant	Franklin	1650	Mixed Grasses	26	46.9	73	71	mowed	49.2	72	64
Moody	Hamden	2100	Clov(50%)Grass	20	41.5	70	67	21	46.9	63	68
Scobie	Hamden	1490	Mixed Grasses	12	38.3	70	69	13	43	62	69
Hillriegel	Hardenburgh	1670	Orchardgrass	14	47.1	66	68	19	50.9	65	67
Haynes	Kortright	1860	Orchardgrass	27	48.5	70	67	30	50.9	63	69
DeDominicis	Meredith	2100	Orchardgrass	14	43	73	66	15	42.9	73	66
Keator	Meredith	1600	Tall Fescue	20	43.5	66	67	24	50.1	62	66
Elliot	Middletown	2060	Orch/Rcanary	24	45.6	70	69	28	48.2	65	66
Coombe	Neversink	1420	Tall Fescue	20	47.2	71	64	mowed	53.6	65	67
Krum	Neversink	1700	Mixed Grasses	10	48.8	58	70		50.5	61	66
Kuhn	Roxbury	1980	Mixed Grasses	28	46.5	60	67	35	59.3	51	64
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Orchardgrass	28	48.3	69	70	30	48.9	68	68
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Alfalfa	25	27	60	69	28	39	46	64
Deysenroth	Stamford	1510	Orchardgrass	23	45.8	74	66	23	49.9	67	68
Hanselman	Stamford	1488	Alfalfa	18	26.3	57	68	21	37.3	55	64
Ryan	Stamford	1800	Mixed Grasses	8/15	41.4	67	71	17	44.3	67	66
Trovato	Stamford	2080	Mixed Grasses	12/23	43.1	70	67	25	51.3	62	66
LaTourette	Tompkins	1210	Clov(25%)Grass	18/22	44.7	65	66	18/22	50.2	65	65
Wickham,B	Walton	1170	Alf(40%)Orch	17/23	39.3	69	67	21/28	47.6	63	65
			Av Grass	20.2	44.7	69	68.5	23.6	48.8	64.7	66.5
			Av Mixed	–	42.3	67.4	66.0	–	46.7	61.3	65.8
			Av Legume	16.8	27.6	57.0	70.0	19.5	38.7	51.6	65.6

Scissors Cut Report 5/16/2023

Off to the Races – But Beef Can Wait

With a string of beautiful weather hay harvest started this week. Hay grew well this week, with both grasses and legumes gaining about 5 inches. With cool temperatures fiber increased more slowly than average, with NDF increasing about 2.5 points. Fiber Digestibility (NDFD) and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) held steady, decreasing only slightly.
Dairy Quality Recommendations: Grasses and legume/grass Mixed stands will hit dairy quality target fiber content this week, and we would recommend harvesting these fields. High percent legume stands are still more than a week away from target fiber content.
Livestock Quality Recommendations: If you need some highly digestibility forage for growing calves, grass and mixed legume/grass fields will hit target quality this week. For all other classes of livestock forage is at least a week from target quality.

Estimated days from 5/16 to reach target quality for classes of cattle

		Beef
	Dairy	Growing Calf	Growing Yearling	Lactating Cow	Mature Dry Cow
Grass	NOW	NOW	7 days	10+ days	14+ days
Mixed	NOW	NOW	7 days	10+ days	14+ days
Legume	10+ days	10+ days	10-14 days	10+ days	14+ days

The Table below has each sample location, listed by Town and elevation, and lists the species sampled, average height, Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility (NDFD), and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN). We have sampled grass, legume and mixed legume/grass fields across the county and at elevations from 1070 to 2100 feet. Look for locations with similar forage type and elevation to your farm.

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results				May 9, 2023				May 16, 2023
Farm	Town	Elev	Species	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN
Darling	Andes	1505	Red Clover	13	28.3	88	74	17	29.1	54	74
Darling	Andes	1500	Mixed Grasses	14	37.6	75	69	18	40.5	73	69
Eisele	Andes	1412	Orchardgrass	12	41.4	70	69	17	45	70	67
Evans	Andes	2240	Mixed Grasses	9	36.6	66	68	13	45.3	66	70
Gladstone	Andes	1960	RClov(35%)Grass	7/13	40.3	75	70	10/15	42.5	69	68
Mattson	Colchester	1080	Alf(60%)Tfesc	18/20	35.4	63	66	24/25	41.5	61	64
Cerosaoletti	Davenport	1285	Alfalfa	14	24.4	54	69	19	28.9	58	68
Frisbee	Delhi	1380	Mixed Grasses	15	42.1	70	67	26	44.7	68	68
Mushkoday	Delhi	1340	Alfalfa	15	26.4	70	70	19	26.9	56	71
Rama	Delhi	1400	Clov(25%)Grass	11/19	44.9	72	69	13/23	45.7	71	65
Sherwood	Delhi	1610	Mixed Grasses	18	40.9	76	66	19	47.3	69	72
Sullivan	Delhi	1425	Orchardgrass	14	43.1	68	71	19	45.2	67	68
Buel	Franklin	1260	Alf(50%)Orch	14/21	33.6	71	67	hrvstd	–	–	–
Grant	Franklin	1650	Mixed Grasses	19	44	80	68	26	46.9	73	71
Taggart	Franklin	1720	Mixed Grasses	15	44.1	72	66	hrvstd	–	–	–
DiBenedetto	Halcott	1730	Orchardgrass	18	42	77	68	23	46.8	71	71
Moody	Hamden	2100	Clov(50%)Grass	6/8	39.4	70	68	20	41.5	70	67
Scobie	Hamden	1490	Mixed Grasses	9	38.7	71	69	12	38.3	70	69
Hillriegel	Hardenburgh	1670	Orchardgrass	12	45.8	70	67	14	47.1	66	68
Hager	Kortright	2000	Tall Fescue	17	40.5	78	73	mowed	37.6	80	71
Haynes	Kortright	1860	Orchardgrass	14/21	42.2	74	68	27	48.5	70	67
Cieri	Meredith	2230	Orchardgrass	13	36.8	84	68	16	43.4	77	67
DeDominicis	Meredith	2100	Orchardgrass	9	35.9	71	68	14	43	73	66
Keator	Meredith	1600	Tall Fescue	15	42.3	68	67	20	43.5	66	67
Elliot	Middletown	2060	Orch/Rcanary	17	41.7	78	68	24	45.6	70	69
Gray	Middletown	2020	Reed Canarygrass	18	43.3	73	65	hrvstd	–	–	–
Coombe	Neversink	1420	Tall Fescue	13	41.7	78	68	20	47.2	71	64
Krum	Neversink	1700	Mixed Grasses	8	41.3	67	67	10	48.8	58	70
Albano	Roxbury	1950	Mixed Grasses	17	41.8	75	67	hrvstd	–	–	–
Gockel	Roxbury	1890	Orchardgrass	16	44.7	71	70	mowed	42.1	57	68
Kuhn	Roxbury	1980	Mixed Grasses	20	46.6	67	68	28	46.5	60	67
Perry	Roxbury	1830	Orchardgrass	17	42.9	73	66	mowed	45.4	69	69
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Orchardgrass	24	44.5	75	74	28	48.3	69	70
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Alfalfa	19	28.3	62	69	25	27	60	69
Deysenroth	Stamford	1510	Orchardgrass	15	45.5	71	65	23	45.8	74	66
Hanselman	Stamford	1488	Alfalfa	13	24.6	51	71	18	26.3	57	68
Martin	Stamford	1560	Alf(40%)Orch	19	39.7	73	66	19/25	40.7	67	65
Ryan	Stamford	1800	Mixed Grasses	6/12	40.7	72	67	8/15	41.4	67	71
Trovato	Stamford	2080	Mixed Grasses	8/14	44.7	75	66	12/23	43.1	70	67
LaTourette	Tompkins	1210	Clov(25%)Grass	7/18	44.3	71	67	18/22	44.7	65	66
Walley	Tompkins	1235	Clov(35%)Grass	12/18	40.4	68	69	hrvstd-	–	–	–
Wickham,B	Walton	1170	Alf(40%)Orch	13/17	38.2	68	69	17/23	39.3	69	67
Wickham,D	Walton	1240	Clov(30%)Grass	15/19	34.7	71	68	hrvstd	–	–	–
			Av Grass	15.6	41.9	73	68	20.2	44.7	69	68.5
			Av Mixed	–	39.1	70.2	67.9	–	42.3	67.4	66.0
			Av Legume	12.1	26.4	65.0	10.6	16.8	27.6	57.0	70.0

Scissors Cut Report 5/9/2023

Be Prepared

Hay grew steadily this week; grasses height averaged 16 inches, growing about 4 inches, and legumes averaged 12 inches, growing about 2 inches. Heights remain at about average compared to previous scissor cut years. Forage quality measures are holding steady, as we expect at this point in the growth cycle. As grasses start stem elongation, height will increase more rapidly and fiber content will begin to increase. None of the fields sampled are at target quality and are at least a week away from recommended start of harvest. At this point in the season we expect NDF to increase about 1 % point per day, which sets our predicted first day at target NDF for grasses at May 17, almost exactly on our 20-year average. We will sample again on May 16, so keep an eye out for next weeks results to fine tune your plans.

A note on early harvest of grasses. As grasses grow and start the heading process, the growing point is at the top of the stem as it elongates. If plants are cut before the growing point is above the cutting height, the cut plant will continue to push the seed head up, with few leaves, resulting in a field that looks like all heads. When this happens, the grass will eventually fill in, but quality will be reduced. This is something to consider if you are cutting very early. You can split a few grass stems and see the length of the developing stem, if the growing point is lower than cutting height you may want to wait a day or two to avoid rapid heading of the regrowth.

Reminder: Check mower cutting height settings. Grasses store energy reserves in the base of the stem, cutting too low can remove the reserves the plants need to start regrowth quickly. Setting cutting height to 4 inches is a good practice to ensure heathier plants and quicker regrowth.

We have a great forecast for completing field work, don’t let first cutting time sneak up on you. Looks like we have the making of a good cropping season, lets make the most of it.

The Table at the bottom has each sample location, listed by Town and elevation, and lists the species sampled, average height, Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility (NDFD), and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN). We have sampled grass, legume and mixed legume/grass fields across the region and at elevations from 1070 to 2240 feet. Look for locations with similar forage type and elevation to your farm.

Special thanks to Dairy One for providing the sample analysis

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results				May 2, 2023				May 9, 2023
Farm	Town	Elev	Species	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN
Darling	Andes	1505	Red Clover	11	27.7	58	72	13	28.3	88	74
Darling	Andes	1500	Mixed Grasses	10	39.3	79	67	14	37.6	75	69
Eisele	Andes	1412	Orchardgrass	12	40.7	79	67	12	41.4	70	69
Evans	Andes	2240	Mixed Grasses	7	39.7	73	67	9	36.6	66	68
Gladstone	Andes	1960	RClov(35%)Grass	6/10	35.7	72	68	7/13	40.3	75	70
Mattson	Colchester	1080	Alf(60%)Tfesc	14/13	34.9	64	67	18/20	35.4	63	66
Cerosaoletti	Davenport	1285	Alfalfa	16	30.1	66	68	14	24.4	54	69
Frisbee	Delhi	1380	Mixed Grasses	10	47.1	73	67	15	42.1	70	67
Mushkoday	Delhi	1340	Alfalfa	18	27.2	71	68	15	26.4	70	70
Rama	Delhi	1400	Clov(25%)Grass	7/13	42.9	77	67	11/19	44.9	72	69
Sherwood	Delhi	1610	Mixed Grasses	13	41.8	73	67	18	40.9	76	66
Sullivan	Delhi	1425	Orchardgrass	12	46.3	73	65	14	43.1	68	71
Buel	Franklin	1260	Alf(50%)Orch	11/17	35.9	76	67	14/21	33.6	71	67
Grant	Franklin	1650	Mixed Grasses	16	36.2	83	69	19	44	80	68
Taggart	Franklin	1720	Mixed Grasses	11	43.3	78	68	15	44.1	72	66
DiBenedetto	Halcott	1730	Orchardgrass	15	43.3	76	67	18	42	77	68
Moody	Hamden	2100	Clov(50%)Grass	5/9	38.5	72	67	6/8	39.4	70	68
Scobie	Hamden	1490	Mixed Grasses	6	39.3	75	69	9	38.7	71	69
Hillriegel	Hardenburgh	1670	Orchardgrass	10	45.7	71	67	12	45.8	70	67
Hager	Kortright	2000	Tall Fescue	11	38.9	84	70	17	40.5	78	73
Haynes	Kortright	1860	Orchardgrass	14	46.4	71	67	14/21	42.2	74	68
Cieri	Meredith	2230	Orchardgrass	7	32.8	80	72	13	36.8	84	68
DeDominicis	Meredith	2100	Orchardgrass	7	40	74	68	9	35.9	71	68
Keator	Meredith	1600	Tall Fescue	10	43.1	77	66	15	42.3	68	67
Elliot	Middletown	2060	Orch/Rcanary	14	41.9	77	67	17	41.7	78	68
Gray	Middletown	2020	Reed Canarygrass	15	42.5	79	66	18	43.3	73	65
Coombe	Neversink	1420	Tall Fescue	10	38.4	92	70	13	41.7	78	68
Krum	Neversink	1700	Mixed Grasses	4	42.1	74	67	8	41.3	67	67
Albano	Roxbury	1950	Mixed Grasses	11	43.9	75	69	17	41.8	75	67
Gockel	Roxbury	1890	Orchardgrass	10	44	75	67	16	44.7	71	70
Kuhn	Roxbury	1980	Mixed Grasses	8	41.7	71	66	20	46.6	67	68
Perry	Roxbury	1830	Orchardgrass	15	42.5	75	66	17	42.9	73	66
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Orchardgrass	14	40.2	76	70	24	44.5	75	74
Johnson	Sidney	1070	Alfalfa	13	28.8	70	67	19	28.3	62	69
Deysenroth	Stamford	1510	Orchardgrass	9	42.7	74	68	15	45.5	71	65
Hanselman	Stamford	1488	Alfalfa	10	29.7	69	67	13	24.6	51	71
Martin	Stamford	1560	Alf(40%)Orch	10/14	35.9	71	66	19	39.7	73	66
Ryan	Stamford	1800	Mixed Grasses	9	42	69	69	6/12	40.7	72	67
Trovato	Stamford	2080	Mixed Grasses	10	43	75	68	8/14	44.7	75	66
LaTourette	Tompkins	1210	Clov(25%)Grass	6/12	45.3	74	67	7/18	44.3	71	67
Walley	Tompkins	1235	Clov(35%)Grass	7/13	46.3	78	66	12/18	40.4	68	69
Wickham,B	Walton	1170	Alf(40%)Orch	11/15	42.2	72	67	13/17	38.2	68	69
Wickham,D	Walton	1240	Clov(30%)Grass	10/14	39.6	79	68	15/19	34.7	71	68
			Av Grass Ht	11.3	41.7	76.1	67.7	15.6	41.9	73.0	68.0
			Av Legume Ht	9.5	28.7	66.8	68.4	12.1	26.4	65.0	70.6

Scissor Cut Results 5/2/2023

The Countdown Begins

May 2, 2023

Welcome to the first Scissors Cut sampling report for 2023. We will be tracking hay growth and quality each week at 43 sites across our region on all sorts of fields at a range of elevations. You should find several sites that are similar to your farm.

The charts below show grass and legume heights measured the first week of May from 2006 – 2023. Grass and legumes are right at the average, so maybe this year will be “normal”, whatever that is. Warm weather can push the hay fields to change quickly, so keep watch for next week’s results to make sure you are prepared. Over the years grass fields have hit dairy quality target fiber content about May 16. Now is the time to get everything shined up and ready for go time.

We will be 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 for the animals you will be feeding.
NDF – Neutral Detergent Fiber 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.
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.
Special thanks to Dairy One for providing the sample analysis

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results			May 32, 2023
Town	Elev	Species	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN
Andes	1505	Red Clover	11	27.7	58	72
Andes	1500	Mixed Grasses	10	39.3	79	67
Andes	1412	Orchardgrass	12	40.7	79	67
Andes	2240	Mixed Grasses	7	39.7	73	67
Andes	1960	RClov(35%)Grass	6/10	35.7	72	68
Colchester	1080	Alf(60%)Tfesc	14/13	34.9	64	67
Davenport	1285	Alfalfa	16	30.1	66	68
Delhi	1380	Mixed Grasses	10	47.1	73	67
Delhi	1340	Alfalfa	18	27.2	71	68
Delhi	1400	Clov(25%)Grass	7/13	42.9	77	67
Delhi	1610	Mixed Grasses	13	41.8	73	67
Delhi	1425	Orchardgrass	12	46.3	73	65
Franklin	1260	Alf(50%)Orch	11/17	35.9	76	67
Franklin	1650	Mixed Grasses	16	36.2	83	69
Franklin	1720	Mixed Grasses	11	43.3	78	68
Halcott	1730	Orchardgrass	15	43.3	76	67
Hamden	2100	Clov(50%)Grass	5/9	38.5	72	67
Hamden	1490	Mixed Grasses	6	39.3	75	69
Hardenburgh	1670	Orchardgrass	10	45.7	71	67
Kortright	2000	Tall Fescue	11	38.9	84	70
Kortright	1860	Orchardgrass	14	46.4	71	67
Meredith	2230	Orchardgrass	7	32.8	80	72
Meredith	2100	Orchardgrass	7	40	74	68
Meredith	1600	Tall Fescue	10	43.1	77	66
Middletown	2060	Orch/Rcanary	14	41.9	77	67
Middletown	2020	Reed Canarygrass	15	42.5	79	66
Neversink	1420	Tall Fescue	10	38.4	92	70
Neversink	1700	Mixed Grasses	4	42.1	74	67
Roxbury	1950	Mixed Grasses	11	43.9	75	69
Roxbury	1890	Orchardgrass	10	44	75	67
Roxbury	1980	Mixed Grasses	8	41.7	71	66
Roxbury	1830	Orchardgrass	15	42.5	75	66
Sidney	1070	Orchardgrass	14	40.2	76	70
Sidney	1070	Alfalfa	13	28.8	70	67
Stamford	1510	Orchardgrass	9	42.7	74	68
Stamford	1488	Alfalfa	10	29.7	69	67
Stamford	1560	Alf(40%)Orch	10/14	35.9	71	66
Stamford	1800	Mixed Grasses	9	42	69	69
Stamford	2080	Mixed Grasses	10	43	75	68
Tompkins	1210	Clov(25%)Grass	6/12	45.3	74	67
Tompkins	1235	Clov(35%)Grass	7/13	46.3	78	66
Walton	1170	Alf(40%)Orch	11/15	42.2	72	67
Walton	1240	Clov(30%)Grass	10/14	39.6	79	68
		Av Grass Ht	9.5
		Av Legume Ht	11.3

Scissor Cut Results – 6/7/2022

Mature Hay for Mature Cows

Hay continued to mature this week with all grasses reaching a fully headed stage. Fiber in grasses is advancing more slowly, while legumes still advanced by 1 point per day. Fiber digestibility continued to decrease. All fields are past quality targets for dairy and growing beef cattle, while still meeting quality targets for mature beef cows.

Status relative to target quality for classes of cattle – 6/7

		Beef
	Dairy	Growing Calf	Growing Yearling	Lactating Cow	Mature Dry Cow
Grass	PAST	PAST	PAST	NOW	NOW
Mixed	PAST	PAST	PAST	NOW	NOW
Legume	PAST	PAST	PAST	NOW	NOW

Later maturing grasses rapidly grew taller this week, with some fields gaining over 10 inches, earlier heading fields gained less height. Legumes, getting to flowering stage, grew only 3 inches. Hay yields are not likely to increase, but fiber digestibility will continue to decease as plants change to seed production stages. Fiber content limits the amount of forage a cow can consume, digestibility measures how much energy they can get from each pound consumed. Good for mature beef cows to get full and not get fat, not so good for dairy or growing animals that need more energy for growth and production.

The Table on the below has each sample location, listed by Town and elevation, and lists the species sampled, average height, Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility (NDFD), and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN). We have sampled grass, legume and mixed legume/grass fields across the county and at elevations from 1070 to 2100 feet. Look for locations with similar forage type and elevation to your farm.

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results				May 31, 2022				June 7, 2022
Farm	Town	Elev	Species	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN	Ht	aNDFom	NDFD	TDN
Eisele	Andes	1412	Orchardgrass	38	60.2	53	71	46	65.7	49	67
Gladstone	Andes	1960	Mixed grasses	40	65	57	66	47	61.2	59	72
Hutson	Hamden	1275	Alfalfa	26	38.9	41	67	29	45.7	46	68
Moody	Hamden	2100	Orchardgrass	30	63.9	55	67	40	64	52	65
Reed	Hamden	1740	Ken. Bluegrass	21	61.3	58	66	30	61.9	54	68
Scobie	Hamden	1740	K. Bluegrass	36	64.2	56	67	42	65.2	49	65
Hillriegel	Hardenburgh	1670	Orchardgrass	46	66.7	55	67	50	66.8	49	65
Haynes	Kortright	1900	Orchardgrass	40	64.9	55	69	46	64.9	51	67
Elliot	Middletown	2060	Reed Canarygrass	42	66	51	65	55	67.4	54	65
Coombe	Neversink	1420	Tall Fescue	29	64.8	53	63	36	66.3	56	64
Kuhn	Roxbury	1980	Mixed grasses	36	64	49	64		61.4	48	69
Marsiglio	Walton	1750	Orchardgrass	34	65.9	54	67	40	59.4	53	71
			Av Grass Ht	36.6				43.2
			Av Legume Ht	23.8				29

Summary by Week		3-May	10-May	17-May	24-May	31-May	7-June
	Grass Ht	8.4	11.3	16.5	26.4	36.6	43.2
	Legume Ht	5.9	8.0	13.0	20.6	23.8	29
Grass	num of fields	28	30	30	24	17	10
	aNDFom	40.6	40.8	40.8	56.1	63.7	64
	NDFD	74.3	73.4	73.4	63.2	53.7	52.2
	TDN	72.6	71.8	71.8	70.5	66.6	67.3
Mixed	num of fields	8	8	8	6	5	0
	aNDFom	34.7	35.4	35.4	49.3	56.3	–
	NDFD	72.9	72.6	72.6	57.2	50.8	–
	TDN	73.0	72.3	72.3	68.3	66.2	–
Legume	num of fields	3	3	3	3	2	1
	aNDFom	27.2	25.9	25.9	36.8	37.3	45.7
	NDFD	61.7	58.3	58.3	50.7	36.5	46
	TDN	72.0	73.0	73.0	70.7	67.0	68