NEWARK, Del. - The present
drought has caused a shortage of
available hay, grazing and
greenchop on many Delmarva
livestock and dairy farms. By
August 1 it’s too late to plant many
of the traditional warm-season
annual emergency hay crops such
as millet, sorghum, sudangrass
and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids.
But University of Delaware ex
tension agronomist Dr. Richard
Taylor says several other crop
groups-including the small grains,
brassica or cole crops, and
ryegrasses-have forage potential
if adequate rainfall occurs for a
successful seeding.
Among the small grains, for
example, spring oats is an ex
cellent choice for good fall yield,
sown either broadcast or drilled in
narrow rows in a weed-free,
conventionally prepared seedbed.
Taylor says oats should be sown at
a rate of 2 to 3 bushels per acre, at
a depth of 1 to 2 inches. Use either
press wheels or a cultipacker to
firm the soil over the seed.
“Spring oats should receive
approximately 50 to 75 pounds of
nitrogen preplant incorporated,
along with phosphorus and
potassium if needed,” the
specialist says. “Check the most
recent soil test results on the field
for its p and K status.”
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Emergency Forage
Other small grains with
emergency forage potential are
cereal rye (at a seeding rate of 2 to
2 1 /z bushels per acre), barley (at 3
bushels per acre), wheat (at 2%
bushels per acre) and triticale (at
2 bushels per acre). Taylor warns
that early plantings of barley and
wheat may run the risk of Hessian
fly infestations, but this shouldn’t
be a problem as long as the crop is
only used for forage.
Growers who wish to use
brassica or cole crops have a
choice of either forage rape or a
forage turnip called Tyfon. Sow
brassicas broadcast or in narrow
rows on a weed-free, con
ventionally prepared seedbed.
Seed at a rate of 4 to 5 pounds per
acre at a depth of v< to x h. inch on a
firm seedbed, the agronomist says.
Follow broadcast seedings with a
cultipacker to ensure good
soil/seed contact.
The fertility program for cole
crops should include 50 to 100
pounds of nitrogen per acre
preplant incorporated. Phosphorus
and potash should also be applied
preplant, according to soil test
recommendations.
“Another possible choice for
emergency hay would be the an
nual ryegrasses, or perhaps one of
the tetraploid ryegrass varieties,”
Taylor says. “The annuals may
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experience anywhere from no to
severe damage during the winter.
Tetraploid ryegrasses may grow
slightly slower, but are more likely
to survive the winter with little
damage, if planted on well-drained
soils.” He recommends a seeding
rate of 25 to 40 pounds per acre to
ensure rapid fall establishment.
Plant any of these ryegrasses on
a conventional seedbed, or seed by
air into standing com or soybeans.
If planting into soybeans, seed at
about 50 percent soybean leaf
drop; for com, wait until leaves
begin to change color. Apply 50 to
100 pounds of nitrogen per acre,
either preplant incorporated or
shortly after establishment.
“Any of these crops should
provide grazing for livestock from
mid to late fall until the ground
freezes,” Taylor says.
While they make excellent
forage, brassicas crops do require
considerably more management
than grasses, the agronomist says.
They should be grazed only a few
hours each day as a supplemental
livestock feed, not as the sole feed.
This is due both to their high water
content and the fact that cole
plants contain toxins which can
injure animals if fed exclusively
for four to six weeks. Animals may
need a day or two to adapt to cole
crops; so to speed acceptance; it’s
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best to put livestock into the field
when they’re hungry.
Brassicas must be rotationally
grazed, because if cattle, sheep or
other livestock are’ allowed to
roam over a large block planting,
they will soon trample much of the
available forage. To reduce waste,
Taylor advises allowing animals to
feed for a short time each day on a
limited area. Rotate back to that
area in another few weeks.
Milk Order Amendment Hearing Slated
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S.
Department of Agriculture has
scheduled a public hearing to
consider proposals that would
provide payments for market-wide
services under seven southeastern
federal milk marketing orders.
The hearing will consider amend
ments to the Georgia, Tennessee
Valley, Louisville-Lexington-Ev
ansville, Alabama-West Florida,
New Orleans-Mississippi, Greater
Louisiana, and Nashville milk
orders.
The Sept. 8 hearing will begin at
9:30 a.m. at the Colony -Square
Hotel, Peachtree and 14th Street,
N.E., Atlanta, Ga.
Edward T. Coughlin, a dairy
official with USDA’s Agricultural
Marketing Service, said the Food
Security Act of 1985 amended the
Agricultural Marketing
Agreement Act of 1937 to permit
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In addition to grazing, any of the
grasses mentioned above can be
used for silage, if wilted first to
reduce moisture content. They also
offer an excellent opportunity for
greenchopping, along with the
possibility of regrowth if fall
weather is favorable. Brassicas,
because of their high water con
tent, must be wilted and treated
with a preservative before en
siling.
payments for market-wide ser
vices under federal milk
marketing orders.
The proposed amendments
would provide for the use of
market-wide pool proceeds to
cover certain costs of maintaining
facilities for handling weekend and
seasonal reserve milk supplies and
the cost of transporting milk from
one location to another for the
purposes of fulfilling fluid milk
requirements and providing a
market outlet for reserve milk
supplies.
Notice of the hearing was
published in the Aug. 15 Federal
Register. Copies may also be
obtained from the Dairy Division,
Room 2971-S, USDA, AMS,
Washington, D.C. 20250, or from
any of the market administrators
for the affected orders.