Soybeans for Hay or Silage by Dr. Dan Undersander Soybeans can be harvested as a hay or silage crop. This option is often considered either when forage is short or when the soybean crop is damaged for harvest as a grain crop (for example. following hail damage or an early frost). Soybean forage, like most legumes, […]

Emergency Forage Options The optimum crop to plant for emergency forage should be determined by 1) when and how it will be utilized, 2) the forage quality needed, and 3) seed availability and cost. In 2003 and 2004, emergency forage trials were conducted at 5 locations across Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Trials were seeded at […]

Emergency Forage Plantings by Paul Peterson, Marcia Endres, Doug Holen, Craig Shaeffer, Vince Crary, Doug Swanson, Joshua Larson, and Jim Halgerson University if Minnesota Perennial forage crops are the foundation of ruminant livestock feeding programs in the North Central USA. Unfortunately, because of the harshness of the region’s climate, perennial forage crops, and particularly alfalfa, occasionally winterkill, […]

Emergency Forages: Targeting Gaps in the Growing Season by Nick Schneider1 Introduction Drought experienced through much of Wisconsin during the summer has reduced the states dry alfalfa inventory by 32% and other dry forage by 1% as of the 2012 USDA October Crop Production summary. Forage shortages are of great concern to livestock producers. The high […]

Use of Brassica Crops in Grazing Systems by Dan Undersander UW Extension Forage Agronomist Forage Brassicas, such as rape, kale, turnips, and swedes, are high yielding, high quality, fast growing crops. The above ground parts (stems and leaves) of rape and kale and all parts (stems, leaves, and roots) of turnips and swedes are utilized by […]

Sorghums, Sudangrass, and Sorghum-Sudan Hybrids by Dan Undersander What are the different types of sorghum and sudangrasses? Sorghums and sudangrasses are warm weather crops and will perform best in years when the growing season is characterized by higher than average temperatures. Cool conditions will severely limit productivity. Sorghums are diverse but generally fall into the following […]

Pea and Small Grain Mixtures by Dan Undersander Introduction Many farmers have considered including peas with small grains used as a cover crop for establishing alfalfa or as an emergency silage crop. The resulting silage is more palatable and higher in quality than small grain silage. The following information summarizes research regarding the influence of variety […]