The Wisconsin Forage Council Coordinated Demonstration Program is an effort to by the Forage Council and its members to develop on-farm, applied information for its members. The procedure is that a committee of the Forage Council develops a list of 4 topics, protocols are written, and data froms developed. This information is made available to local forage councils and grazing networks and they are encouraged to implement one or more of the demonstrations, to hold a field day around the topic and a winter meeting with results from other demonstration sites. This unreplicated data is collated with sites considered as replicates. Information is shared back to members and used for future University recommendations.
Title: Comparison of Scissors to Alfalfa Quality from Height and Stage (PEAQ)
Objective: To compare alfalfa quality from height and stage determinations to actual determinations.
Procedure: Alfalfa will be samples for scissors clip as per standard protocol. At the same time of sampling, the maturity of the most mature stem and height of the tallest plant will be recorded according to the PEAQ procedure (attached).
Data to collect:
Title: Frost Seeding Legumes into Pasture
Objective: To determine effectiveness of legumes frost seeded into grass pasture.
Treatments:
Procedure: Pasture sites will be selected with little legume and little or no residual grass from previous year. Seed of all or any of above treatments will be broadcast onto defined areas of the grass pasture. Seeding will occur as soon as snow is gone in early March. Legume counts from three 2-ft square or larger areas per treatment will be taken in early May and September. Counts are easiest to take when regrowth begins after a grazing cycle.
Data to collect:
Title: Rate of Forage Quality Change of Second and Third Cutting
Objective: To determine if high quality forage can be harvested at later stages of maturity on second and third cutting.
Situation: Alfalfa forage quality is critical for dairy cow performance. Earlier harvesting has generally been recommended to increase forage quality but this puts stress on the plant in reduced winter survival and yield the next year. Improved quality of some alfalfa varieties may allow harvesting at more mature stages while meeting dairy quality needs.
Procedure: Forage will be sampled from second and third cuttings of alfalfa at 5 day intervals from early bud to 25% flower (3 to 4 samplings) on second and third harvests. Samples should be taken before 9 am. Samples will consist of 5 grab samples taken at random and hand clipped at 2 inches above ground. The stage of alfalfa maturity should be recorded according to the following:
Early bud - most mature stems have 1 to 2 nodes with buds
Late bud - most mature stems have more than 2 nodes with buds
Flower record (or estimate flowering) from sample:
A) % stems with one flower open
B) % stems with > one flower open
Analyze samples for CP, ADF, and NDF.
Data to Collect:
Title: Corn Silage Moisture Dry Down
Objective: To determine proper timing of corn silage harvest.
Situation: Corn silage dry down to proper moisture for ensiling is critical to proper fermentation. Kernel milk line recommended previously works well for some corn hybrids but not others. Further, many farmers have harvested corn too dry for silage as the high temperatures and droughty conditions have caused faster drying than normal.
Procedure: Select a fields planted corn hybrids with the following relative maturities:
A specific hybrid is recommended to allow better comparison with neighboring counties. The sampled field should be planted near May 1. When the kernel reaches 1/4 milk line begin monitoring kernel moisture twice weekly. This information should be emailed to Dan Undersander who will put the information on the web.
Moisture monitoring
Randomly pick a spot in the field. Cut six consecutive corn plants. Feed them through a portable shredder/chopper (or a field chopper) and collect the discharge into a bucket. After chopping, pour the sample into a bushel basket and mix well. Subsample about 50 grams from the basket. If sample is not to be dried immediately, place in ziplock bag and label.
Tare balance with paper place, place subsample onto paper plate and weigh accurate to 0.1 g. Place sample in microwave oven for 5 to 7 minutes (use higher number for wetter corn). Remove sample mix and place back into microwave oven for 4 minutes. If the material is very dry, the second microwaving may be only 1 to 2 minutes. While microwaving be sure to watch for combustion which results from over drying. Weigh after drying and calculate dry matter as: