Green Gold Report â May 29, 2017 â INTERLAKE - AGCanada
Green Gold Report – May 29, 2017 – INTERLAKE Hay Day is June 4th . SITE Arborg Eriksdale Oakpoint INTERLAKE AVERAGE
RFV NIR 185 214 200
RFV PEAQ 252 252 252
Height 14 14 14
CP 28 27 25
200
252
14
27
Over the last 4 days we have seen the alfalfa in the Interlake area grow 3 inches. RFV have dropped about 10 pts /day. It looks like Hay Day for the area will be around June 4th. Access all 2017 Green Gold Reports For more info: John McGregor, MFGA Green Gold Coordinator e: [email protected], w: www.mfga.net or follow us on Twitter!
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2017 MFGA Green Gold Report
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MANITOBA FORAGE & GRASSLAND ASSOCIATION
What we are seeing Alfalfa growth in the area is advancing at about one inch/day. At this time with the RFV averaging 200 the alfalfa should reach 170 around June 4th. If growth continues as is this would but the alfalfa height around 18-19 inches. Producers targeting high quality alfalfa may want to cut early. Producers targeting Beef hay at 130 RFV will have a few more days. Remember that alfalfa cut for dry hay can lose 20 pts of RFV during the curing and baling period. Hay cut for silage will likely drop 5-10 depending on how long it takes to reach its optimum moisture.
Should I let the alfalfa blossom at least once during the summer? If your goal is to keep the alfalfa in rotation as long as possible, then the plants should have the opportunity to reach one-tenth blossom at least once during the growing season. This is the point when the plants reach a full level of carbohydrate reserves in the roots. Many times if the alfalfa stand has been damaged during winter and it has been slow to respond to warm weather, it is a good idea to let the plants build their root carbohydrate levels and reach one-tenth blossom at least once during the growing season. The best cutting to do this would be either second or third rather than first cutting when we have the highest yield. Grasses Influence RFV Alfalfa fields either by design or time tend to have grasses in the mix. The type of grass and the percentage can affect the RFV of your forage. Most grasses are higher in fibre compared to alfalfa (see diagram below), and therefore reach RFV of 150 more quickly than alfalfa. If you want the same quality forage (RFV) with an alfalfa-grass mixture versus pure alfalfa, you need to start harvesting one week earlier, as the following table indicates. Influence of Cutting Date on RFV: Cutting Date Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Alfalfa 275 204 164 130 116
Alfalfa/Brome 217 162 138 113 105
Alfalfa/Timothy 230 178 178 121 101
Reference: Spandi and Hesterman: Michigan State University
2017 MFGA Green Gold Report
~2
~
MANITOBA FORAGE & GRASSLAND ASSOCIATION
RFV NIR 185 214 200
RFV PEAQ 252 252 252
Height 14 14 14
CP 28 27 25
200
252
14
27
Over the last 4 days we have seen the alfalfa in the Interlake area grow 3 inches. RFV have dropped about 10 pts /day. It looks like Hay Day for the area will be around June 4th. Access all 2017 Green Gold Reports For more info: John McGregor, MFGA Green Gold Coordinator e: [email protected], w: www.mfga.net or follow us on Twitter!
GOLD SPONSORS
PLATINUM SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
2017 MFGA Green Gold Report
~1
~
MANITOBA FORAGE & GRASSLAND ASSOCIATION
What we are seeing Alfalfa growth in the area is advancing at about one inch/day. At this time with the RFV averaging 200 the alfalfa should reach 170 around June 4th. If growth continues as is this would but the alfalfa height around 18-19 inches. Producers targeting high quality alfalfa may want to cut early. Producers targeting Beef hay at 130 RFV will have a few more days. Remember that alfalfa cut for dry hay can lose 20 pts of RFV during the curing and baling period. Hay cut for silage will likely drop 5-10 depending on how long it takes to reach its optimum moisture.
Should I let the alfalfa blossom at least once during the summer? If your goal is to keep the alfalfa in rotation as long as possible, then the plants should have the opportunity to reach one-tenth blossom at least once during the growing season. This is the point when the plants reach a full level of carbohydrate reserves in the roots. Many times if the alfalfa stand has been damaged during winter and it has been slow to respond to warm weather, it is a good idea to let the plants build their root carbohydrate levels and reach one-tenth blossom at least once during the growing season. The best cutting to do this would be either second or third rather than first cutting when we have the highest yield. Grasses Influence RFV Alfalfa fields either by design or time tend to have grasses in the mix. The type of grass and the percentage can affect the RFV of your forage. Most grasses are higher in fibre compared to alfalfa (see diagram below), and therefore reach RFV of 150 more quickly than alfalfa. If you want the same quality forage (RFV) with an alfalfa-grass mixture versus pure alfalfa, you need to start harvesting one week earlier, as the following table indicates. Influence of Cutting Date on RFV: Cutting Date Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Alfalfa 275 204 164 130 116
Alfalfa/Brome 217 162 138 113 105
Alfalfa/Timothy 230 178 178 121 101
Reference: Spandi and Hesterman: Michigan State University
2017 MFGA Green Gold Report
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MANITOBA FORAGE & GRASSLAND ASSOCIATION
