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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 - 9:45 AM
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Yield Potential of Emergency Forage Crop Options for the North Central USA.
Douglas L. Holen Jr.1, Daniel J. Undersander2, Paul R. Peterson1, Marcia I. Endres1, Richard Leep3, Phil W. Holman2, Michael Bertram4, Vince W. Crary Jr.1, and Craig Sheaffer5. (1) University of Minnesota, UM Extension Regional Center, 219 W. Cavour Ave, Fergus Falls, MN 56537, (2) University of Wisconsin, Department of Agronomy, Madison, WI 53706, (3) Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1325, (4) Marshfield Ag Research Station, 8396 Yellowstone Drive, 8396 Yellowstone Drive, Marshfield, WI 54449, United States of America, (5) Univ. of MN-Dep. of Agronomy, 1991 Upper Buford Cir., 1991 Upper Buford Cir., St. Paul, MN 55108, United States of America
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 around 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 hybrid pearl millet produced good total season yields in three harvests (grazings) from early May planting, and in one to two harvests (grazings) from July 1 planting; they occasionally produced similar total season yields to corn for silage, but usually less. 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 two months 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.