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 |
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