Producers in the north central USA occasionally experience alfalfa winterkill or springs that are too wet for planting alfalfa within an optimum window. 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 usually produced the most milk per acre (based on UW-Milk2006)at all planting dates. Though it was somtimes higher yielding than corn, one-cut BMR forage sorghum had lower forage quality. Multi-cut sorghum-sudan, sudangrass, and hybrid pearl millet were generally intermediate in milk per acre and milk per ton, but had greater crude protein content than corn silage. Grain soybean varieties harvested for forage at R6.5 were the highest quality options tested, approaching alfalfa quality. Siberian and German foxtail millets harvested at late boot were the the lowest quality options, but produced consistently good stands and yields within 60 d after all planting dates. 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.