Penn State Cooperative Extension
Capitol Region Dairy Team
INTERSEEDEVG
TRITICALE
AND ALFALFA
Paul H. Craig
Extension Agent
Forage Crop Production
Dauphin County
In 2001 I had an opportunity
to visit the University of Mary
land’s Clarksville Facility. One of
the most interesting trials I ob
served was looking at an inter
seeding of triticale into an exist
ing alfalfa stand following the
last fall harvest to increase first
cutting yields. This work began
in the fall of 1996 and has shown
some very impressive results.
With extremely short forage
production in 2002, this practice
may be very handy next spring
following a winter/spring of feed
ing stored feeds. In the fall of
2001 I convinced a Dauphin
County dairyman, Tom Wil-
"* Would you like to stay in bed at 1 AM In
/the morning and at the same time check
. on that cow that is close to calving?
J Would monitoring other facets of your
J management program he of value to
•j f| your operation?
VV Would you like to review calving situa
tions or any other procedures that
occurred while you were absent?
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liams, to try overseeding some of
his stands of alfalfa and he was
very pleased with the results this
spring.
The initial response from pro
ducers about overseeding triticale
TT.
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Paul H. Craig
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is that older, thinner stands
would be best suited for the prac
tice. Work at Maryland has
shown, however, that there is an
advantage to this practice on
even younger stands of alfalfa, 1
to 3 years, without any detri
mental effects to the alfalfa.
Here’s how it works, based on
Maryland research.
Following last harvest, triticale
is sown at 50 to 60 pounds per
acre into newer stands of alfalfa
(1 to 3 years old) and 80 pounds/
acre into older, thinner stands.
Then in the spring, additional ni
trogen is topdressed to get opti
mum production of the triticale.
On newer stands, highest produc
tion has resulted from the addi
tion of SO pounds of nitrogen.
On older alfalfa stands, with
higher triticale seeding rates, op
timum yields were achieved with
Administration Announces Award Deadline
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) On behalf of Gov. Mark
Schweiker, Agriculture Secretary
Sam Hayes announced that the
deadline to apply for this year’s
Agri-Business Achievement
Award is Nov. 15.
“Agri-Business Achievement
Awards are presented to Pennsyl
vania agriculture, food and
wood-products companies that
have made a special contribution
toward the development and ex
pansion of Pennsylvania agricul-
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the addition of 120 pounds of ni
trogen. In one trial, yields of first
cut alfalfa, without triticale but
with 80 pounds of nitrogen was
1.93 tons/acre, with triticale and
80 pounds of nitrogen yields were
2.79 tons/acre of forage and 80
pounds of triticale and 120
pounds of nitrogen yielded 3.22
tons/acre. Forage analysis of the
triticale/alfalfa silage cut at the
late boot stage, in the 2000 crop,
was 24.1 percent CP, 33.1 percent
ADF, and 42.9 percent NDF.
Maryland faculty think the ad
dition of nitrogen is the secret to
success of the alfalfa stand per
sistence. They believe that al
though alfalfa can “fix” nitrogen,
there does not appear to be suffi
cient nitrogen for the companion
crop. Other benefits include an
improvement in the first-cut har
vest efficiency and cleanliness
without any lodging. The triticale
ture, as well as a positive com
mitment to their local
community,” Hayes said.
All companies competing for
this award must meet Depart
ment of Agriculture standards
and qualifications. The Agri-
Business Achievement Award
will be presented to a Pennsylva
nia company in each of the fol
lowing three categories: 1) com
panies with gross annual sales of
less than $l6 million, 2) compa
nies with gross annual sales from
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supports the alfalfa and keeps it
standing. This upright position
results in less leaf shading and
leaf loss. The upright position
also results in better air circula
tion within the stand that keeps
the lower part of the plant and
the soil surface drier. The triti
cale also offers good winter annu
al weed competition in older
stands.
Why triticale and not rye? Tri
ticale is 2 to 3 weeks later in
reaching maturity than rye and
does not reach fully headed as
quickly as rye, thus providing a
wider harvest window more
closely related to the optimum
time to make first cutting of al
falfa. Triticale is taller than
wheat or barley and thus has a
higher yield potential. And the
optimum harvest stage for wheat
and barley is later than the de
sired time for alfalfa.
$l6 million to $5O million, and 3)
companies with gross annual
sales of more than $5O million.
Winners will be announced at
the annual Agro 2003 Interna
tional Celebration Dinner Jan.
10,2003, in Harrisburg.
For additional information or
to receive an application, contact
the PA Department of Agricul
ture’s Bureau of Market Develop
ment at (717) 787-3181 or visit
the PA Power Point at www.sta
te.pa.us, PA Keyword: “agricul
ture.”
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