Extension Regional Ag Update - May 2023

Alfalfa Spring Growth
Spring 2023 has proven to be slow to come. In the past two weeks, though, remarkable progress has been made on planting. In addition, Alfalfa fields that were doing very little at the beginning of the month have taken off in growth. Using a PEAQ stick that estimates Relative Forage Quality, a few observations from around the region include:

230 RFQ (ave. height 17”) River Falls area on 5/15/2023
214.5 RFQ (ave. height 19.5”) Plum City area on 5/16/2023
238 RFQ (ave height 15 ¾”) Frederic area on 5/17/2023
214 RFQ (ave height 19.5”) Deer Park area on 5/17/2023

We recommend the following four steps when using scissors clip data to plan harvest schedules:

Match forage quality goals to animal needs (lactating dairy cow, replacement heifers, beef)
Make adjustments for field losses. Under the best of conditions 15% (points) of the dry matter will be lost during harvesting. Therefore it is necessary to cut a field at 165 to 170 RFV to end up with harvested forage of 150 RFV.
Make adjustment for total harvesting time. For planning purposes we can use the average first cutting forage quality rate of change of 3 to 4 RFV per day.
Make adjustments for local field conditions. This means considering the amount of grass in the stand, alfalfa variety, north vs. south slopes in a field, and soil moisture conditions.

Determining the value of standing alfalfa in 2023
Alfalfa is known as the “Queen of Forages” given its importance to the Wisconsin dairy and livestock industry. Wisconsin harvests more than one million acres of alfalfa annually. While some of these transactions include weighing every load harvested to ensure fairness to both the buyer and the seller, there are many acres and individual cuttings where both parties agree to a fixed price per acre instead. As a result, they are relying on an estimated value per acre for the individual cutting or stand for the entire growing season. If we are going to purchase alfalfa without weighing it, we want to identify the steps that are needed to arrive at an estimated value that is fair to all parties involved.

Determining the Value of Standing Alfalfa in 2023 provides an in- depth assessment of how to estimate the expected dry matter (DM) yield, calculate the value of a ton of DM, and estimate the costs associated with harvesting the crop. Detailed information on these and additional factors to consider can be downloaded in the full document or contact your local UW-Madison Division of Extension Regional Crops Educator for assistance.

Updated 2023 Fact Sheet

Crop Budget Spreadsheet
To assist farmers with estimating their production costs, the UW-Madison Division of Extension has released a new UW Crops Enterprise Budget spreadsheet tool. The new budget tool includes example budgets for nine different commonly grown field crops including haylage, dry hay, corn silage, small grains for grain and forage in addition to corn grain and soybeans. A fertilizer cost calculator is also included in the new budgeting tool.

The budget sheets are set up to be reasonably intuitive and do many of the calculations for the user to minimize the need for a calculator or a pad of paper and pencil. There are helpful hints in each enterprise budget to assist users enter in their data.

Access Spreadsheet Here

Focus on Forage Recordings now Posted
Focus on Forage is a 4-part webinar series highlighting research-based information and farmer strategies to optimize forage yield, quality, and profitability in Wisconsin. Sessions include Focus on Corn Silage, Focus on Alfalfa, Focus on Alternative Forage, and Focus on Storage Management. Webinar speakers include forage industry experts, UW-Madison Specialists, and Extension Educators.

Recordings of Webinar Series

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