The Ohio Agronomy Guide states that most cool-season perennial forages should be planted by the first of May. While some of you reading this article were able to plant forages by now, many of us (myself included) once again were not able to meet that deadline due to wet weather. So how hard and fast is the May 1 deadline, especially in a cold spring like we have experienced? Don’t we have a little more time to plant forages? I hate to say this, but the answer is neither simple nor clear cut.

Winter cereal forage crop development is advancing with the early warm weather this spring. These crops include winter rye, winter wheat, winter triticale, and barley. Italian ryegrass planted late last summer to early autumn is another forage crop that is developing early and will be ready for harvest by late April. The cool-down this week will likely slow development of these crops, but producers should be looking ahead to be ready when these crops reach optimal harvest stages.