Producers in the north central USA occasionally experience alfalfa winterkill or springs that are too wet for planting alfalfa within an optimum window for successful establishment. We conducted a three-state trial across six locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan and 2 yr to evaluate the emergency forage potential of 16 different cool- and warm-season annual crops. Entries were planted at each of three planting dates including early May, early June, and July 1. Corn for silage was usually among the highest yielding options for all planting dates and locations. Forage sorghum at times produced the highest yields of all options in a single fall harvest, but was inconsistent. Sorghum-sudan, sudangrass, and pearl millet produced good total season yields in three harvests from early May planting, and in one or two harvests from July 1 planting; they occasionally produced similar total season yields to corn for silage. Small grains with or without pea produced low yields when planted July 1, but Siberian and German foxtail millets harvested once at late boot produced consistently good stands and yields within 60 d after all planting dates. Soybean produced forage yields similar to foxtail millets, but required more days. The optimum crop to plant for emergency forage varies with when and how it will be utilized, the forage quality needed, and seed availability and cost.