A Slow Start

Welcome to the first Scissors Cut sampling report for 2022.  Getting first cutting right sets the stage for forage crop success for the year.  Quality changes rapidly during as the crop matures while yield increases.  Start too early and you leave yield on the table, cut too late and you’ll miss the high digestibility you’ll want for high producing animals (milking cows and growing steers).   We will be tracking hay growth and quality each week at 41 sites across our region on all sorts of fields.  You should find several sites that are similar to your farm.

Grasses and legumes in hay fields are off to a slow start this year.  These charts show grass and legume heights measured the first week of May from 2006 – 2022.  This year looks to be among the slowest growth springs we’ve seen over this time, with grasses averaging 8.5 inches tall and legumes only 6 inches tall. Warmer weather can push the hay fields to change quickly, so keep watch for next weeks results to make sure you are prepared.

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.
For 2021 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 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.

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

Delaware County Scissor Cuts Results			May 3 2022
Town	Elev	Species	Ht	aNDF	TDN
Andes	1520	Tall Fescue	6	33.9	74
Andes	1412	Orchardgrass	6	33.3	75
Andes	1820	Orchardgrass	11	43	70
Andes	1960	Mixed grasses	10	37.5	74
Colchester	1090	Alf(50%)/Tfesc	5/5	33.4	72
Delhi	1380	Tall Fescue	7	38.8	74
Delhi	1340	Alf(90%)/Tim	8/10	25.1	73
Delhi	1400	Clov(30%)/Grass	5/11	40.7	73
Delhi	1610	Mixed grasses	10	37.4	73
Delhi	1425	Clov(35%)/Orch	4/8	40.2	73
Franklin	1260	Alf(50%)/Orch	7/11	33.7	76
Franklin	1650	Mixed grasses	10	34.7	75
Franklin	1720	Mixed grasses	8	42.2	71
Halcott	1730	Orchardgrass	10	42.2	73
Hamden	1275	Alfalfa	5	24.9	75
Hamden	1740	K Bluegrass	5	39.6	75
Hardenburgh	1670	Orchardgrass	11	44	71
Kortright	2000	Mixed grasses	8	35.8	75
Kortright	1900	Orchardgrass	9	37.6	73
Meredith	1600	Tall Fescue	8	41.8	70
Middletown	2060	Reed Canarygrass	11	39.8	74
Middletown	1910	Reed Canarygrass	11	45	70
Neversink	1420	Tall Fescue	8	47	71
Neversink	1730	K Bluegrass	5	49.2	69
Roxbury	1950	Mixed grasses	7	38.5	74
Roxbury	1890	Mixed grasses	10	41.4	71
Roxbury	1980	Mixed grasses	6	39.3	74
Roxbury	1830	Orchardgrass	9	51	67
Sidney	1070	Orchardgrass	10	40.8	74
Sidney	1070	Alfalfa	7	28.4	68
Stamford	1510	Mixed grasses	6	37.2	75
Stamford	1488	Alfalfa	8	28.4	73
Stamford	1560	Alf(65%)/Orch	6/8	28.4	70
Stamford	1800	Mixed grasses	5	41.7	72
Stamford	2080	Mixed grasses	6	38.7	72
Tompkins	1210	Clov(20%)/grass	4/10	37.6	74
Walton	1750	Orchardgrass	5	43.8	73
Walton	1170	Alf(30%)/Orch	8/10	44.5	71
Walton	1240	Wclov(50%)/grass	4/11	33.8	75
		Av Legume Ht	5.9
		Av Grass Ht	8.4