What should I do with alfalfa residue from last fall on fields?
Dan Undersander
University of Wisconsin
Many growers leave fall growth of alfalfa in the field rather than taking a late fall cutting to enhance winter survival and rate of spring greenup. The stems from this fall growth remain in the spring and some farmers wonder if they should remove it to increase forage quality. The short answer is no – the cost of removing the residue is greater than the value received.
When res
Ash in Forage
 by Dan Undersander, Forage Agronomist
University of Wisconsin–Madison
We haven’t paid much attention to ash until recently when we have begun using the summative equation to estimate energy of forage. Now instead of estimating energy from acid detergent fiber most estimate energy from the following summative equation:
Total digestible nutrients (TDN) = NFC × .98 + CP × .93 + FA × .97 × 2.25 + NDF × NDFD/100 − 7
NFC = non-fiber carbohydrates = DM − Ash â
