The third Focus on Forage webinar in the 2024 series, Focus on Annual Forages, aims to provide Wisconsin farms and agricultural professionals with current research-based recommendations regarding alfalfa planting and management strategies for the 2024 season.
Discussions are led by Dr. Marta Kohmann, Dr. Luiz Ferraretto, John Jones, and Chris Bandura on topics including annual forage crops for Wisconsin farms, the nutritive value of and strategies around feeding annual forages on dairy farms, the nitrogen demand of cereal forages, and nitrogen carryover and rate planning considerations for 2024.
Expand each section below for recordings of and resources related to each talk. To find more information about the Focus on Forage webinar series, visit the Focus on Forage website.
Annual Forage Options for Wisconsin
Presented by: Dr. Marta Kohmann, University of Wisconsin–Madison
There are numerous annual forage crops that can be a good fit for the Wisconsin dairy farm and provide a good alternative to mainstay forage crops such as alfalfa and corn silage. We present topics covering the management of warm season annuals including pearl millet and sorghum/sorghum-sudan grass, as well as cool season annual options such as oats, wheat, rye, and triticale. We also cover the agronomic benefits of these forages for various scenarios, with special consideration given to following a spring terminated alfalfa field following drought or following cover crops.
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Feeding Alternative Forages to Dairy Cattle
Presented by: Dr. Luiz Ferraretto, University of Wisconsin–Madison
This presentation discusses the nutritive value of annual forage alternatives (triticale, ryegrass, cereal rye, cocktail mix forages) and feeding strategies on the dairy farm.
Nitrogen Demand of Winter Cereal Forages in Wisconsin
Presented by: John Jones, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Increasing use of alternative forages in Wisconsin has highlighted the need to know how much nitrogen these crops require. Ongoing research in Wisconsin is examining the yield and quality response of forage triticale and cereal rye to nitrogen fertilization across the state. This short presentation summarizes the previous two years of on-farm research across Wisconsin, highlighting soil and crop considerations for profitable fertilization decisions when growing winter cereals.
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Nitrogen Considerations for 2024 – Carryover and Management Options
Presented by: Chris Bandura, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Most of Wisconsin experienced abnormally dry conditions throughout the 2023 growing and harvest seasons, leaving soil moisture status relatively low compared to normal. This poses an increased likelihood for elevated soil nitrate levels in the soil profile leading into the 2024 growing season.
This presentation discusses reasons why nitrogen carryover might be likely this spring, how we can measure carryover in the field, and what to do with those measurements as we plan this year’s nitrogen rate strategy. Environmental, economic, and agronomic considerations will be discussed.
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