This is the fourth week of monitoring alfalfa height. Many fields of mixed grass/alfalfa were cut in the past week and some pure stands of alfalfa were also mowed early this week all across the 5-county region. Alfalfa growth in fields we checked saw as much as 6-7". There looks to be a smattering of passing showers in the forecast for Friday/Saturday/Sunday/Monday, so the next few days are sure to be busy with a lot more first cutting being harvested. Early reports back on tonnage in grass fields are that it seems to have yielded well even though height may not have been what we would have expected. Some people have sent us samples back on cuttings - we always appreciate anything you are willing to share with us, so keep them coming! As always, feel free to reach out to Betsy and Janice (607.391.2660) to have us come out and check some fields with you. Let us know you're reading!

Alfalfa height has been proven to be a reliable indicator of NDF values in the field for alfalfa, alfalfa/grass mixed and all grass stands. Results are compiled and emailed on a weekly basis - please feel free to forward the results! If your area falls outside of our 5 county region, please contact Betsy (bjh246@cornell.edu) because there are many other counties that are participating in the weekly checks. The weekly email for the month of May has a table of the locations around the region where we have measured the alfalfa height, as well as the elevation. Even if your fields aren't measured, you can use the location and elevation as a guide to conditions that may be similar to your own.

The numbers that are indicators for using alfalfa heights for NDF content are as follows:
• 100% grass stands should be cut when nearby alfalfa is 14 inches tall, to achieve 50% NDF
• 50/50 mixed alfalfa/grass stands should be cut when nearby alfalfa is 22 inches tall, to achieve 44% NDF
• 100% alfalfa stands should be cut when alfalfa is 28 inches tall, to achieve 40% NDF
Predicted days to cut are based on daily NDF increases for grasses of 1.0% point, 50/50 mixed alfalfa/grass stands of 0.8% points, and alfalfa of 0.5% points and are adjusted for the coming week's weather. Typically NDF increases about 0.8 to 1.2 per day for grasses, with cooler weather being the lower end of the range and warmer weather being the higher end. For alfalfa, NDF increases about 0.4 to 0.7 per day, also dependent upon warm/cool weather.  



First Cutting Updates - May 25, 2016 (pdf; 123KB)