Lead Author: Angela Arnold
Many hay fields in the region were harvested last week where drying conditions were good. Harvesting will continue into this week if the weather window remains open. The table below reports average neutral detergent fiber (NDF) values from different fields of alfalfa in each county listed. NDF values increased 5 - 6.5 percentage units when compared to last week’s NDF values. Grass fiber would have increased even more, as most hay grass species are fully headed.
|
Date |
Location (county) |
Average NDF |
Stage |
|
5/29/18 |
Auglaize |
44.5% |
Flower |
|
5/29/18 |
Clark |
49.3% |
Flower |
|
5/25/18 |
Tuscarawas |
37.0% |
Bud |
|
5/22/18 |
Wayne |
37.5% |
Bud |
Producers should consider harvesting fields with higher alfalfa weevil populations first. Defoliation that occurs from weevil feeding reduces alfalfa quality. Producers should pay close attention to new regrowth in heavily infested fields and determine if the number of weevils are over economic threshold for a rescue treatment on the regrowth. Visit HERE for weevil threshold information.
Below are pictures taken from fields in Wayne county last week.
