First Cutting Updates - Week of May 1st, 2017

Betsy Hicks, Area Dairy Specialist
South Central New York Dairy & Field Crops

May 4, 2017

Updates for the week of May 1st, 2017:
Compared to last year, conditions are closer to the "normal" for this region. Alfalfa heights near the southern portion of our region are approaching the 17" plus range on average. In the northern counties, we observe only a few inches less than that. In order to cut pure grass stands for maximum quality, now is the time to be harvesting pure stands ... if you can get in them. The rain and cooler temperatures this week have put the hold on in many operations, so you're not alone in feeling frustrated about harvesting or being able to put corn in. Our predictions for mixed grass stands are looking to be ready next weekend for peak quality harvest. Cooler weather may delay this a little bit, so hopefully our fields can dry up some more.
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.
The weekly email for the month of May will have 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. We now cover six counties throughout South Central NY, including Tioga, Chemung, Broome, Tompkins, Cortland and Onondaga. Other teams and associations throughout the state are also measuring fields. For more information, contact that county's association to find out if fields are being measured there.

Alfalfa Heights - Week of May 1st, 2017 (pdf; 220KB)

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USDA Contract Freezes and Terminations: Legal Action Steps for Farmers

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Farm Participants Needed for Bale Grazing Grant!

Information on the Project:

Approximately 10 acres total needed to bale graze two different bale densities
"Core" farms will graze two winters, "Demo" farms will graze one winter.
Payments for both "Core" farms and "Demo" farms
Baseline soil sampling by bale grazing team
Forage measurements in early season by bale grazing team
Late season clipping if residual not trampled down by farm

Interested farms can enroll for this winter or next.

Looking for 2-3 dairy farms to enroll! If interested, please reach out to Betsy Hicks, 607.391.2673 or bjh246@cornell.edu

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Preventative healthcare for cows
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2018 Drug Residue Prevention Manual

For more than 30 years, the U.S. dairy industry has focused educational efforts on the judicious use of antibiotics through the annual publication of a Best Practices Manual. The 2018 edition of the National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management? Milk and Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention Manual is the primary educational tool for dairy farm managers throughout the country on the judicious and responsible use of antibiotics, including avoidance of drug residues in milk and meat.

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