Forage

Forage Sorghum as an Alternative Silage Crop

The Maryland Milk Moos is a quarterly newsletter published by the University of Maryland Extension that is focused on dairy topics related to Nutrition and Production, Herd Management, and Forage Production.

This past spring, we initiated a study at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center Clarksville Dairy farm to investigate the effects of improved grazing management on bred heifer performance. The objectives were to determine the effect of improved grazing management on heifer growth characteristics and first lactation performance, as well as the economic feasibility of a using a grazing system to mitigate costs associated with the replacement program.

With the first freeze of the fall just around the corner, remember that a frost can result in potential hazards for certain forages. When a plant freezes, changes occur in its metabolism and composition that can cause toxicity issues for livestock. A few issues to be on the lookout for are discussed in this article.

When it comes to something like mowing or clipping pastures, there are certainly two sides to the fence: those that think mowing or clipping pastures is just something that has to be done, and those that think it is a waste of time and fuel and offers little benefit. In truth, the reality is that both sides are right—the need to mow or clip is usually site and time-specific and will depend on several factors. Sometimes the decision is easy, and sometimes the decision is less clear, so what are the arguments for or against mowing or clipping?

It’s the time of year when our alfalfa fields are just waking from winter slumber, or at least we hope they are. We are hopeful that a combination of favorable moisture and thoughtful management will have fields greening up with a strong stand. Unwelcome are brownfields or something close to it. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen often. Yet, when it does, the decision of what’s to follow is painful but an easy one to make — time to put this field out of its misery and plant something else.

Dairy farms in particular recognize the value of winter forages like triticale as a high-yielding and high-quality forage crop for livestock. The yield potential for winter forages is largely based on planting date and fall nitrogen availability; these two critical factors determine the number of fall tillers, which set the yield potential for the following spring. Winter forages like triticale can also serve as a good source of protein, potentially making them a more economical alternative to other feed ingredients such as soybean meal for meeting ration protein needs.

The Maryland Milk Moos is a quarterly newsletter published by the University of Maryland Extension that is focused on dairy topics related to Nutrition and Production, Herd Management, and Forage Production.

This quarterly newsletter is focused on bringing timely, relevant information to Maryland's livestock producers

A fall armyworm outbreak is occurring throughout Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. This week, we received a report of armyworm damage to sod from Maryland’s Eastern Shore as well as residential lawns in Lewes, Delaware. This appears to be one of the most significant armyworm flights in many years. Scout turf, sod, pasture grasses, any late sweet corn that has not yet headed, and when the time comes, small grain and cover crops. Females lay egg masses containing between 50 and 200 eggs, meaning damage can be localized and intense and that it does not take many moths to infest a field. It is important to catch an infestation as early as possible. Larvae consume 80% of their total intake during the last three days of larval development. Often, it is during this period or just after larvae have finished that damage is noticed, occurring seemingly overnight as if an army had stripped the field. It takes about 14-19 days for larvae to mature.