Forage

Musk thistle
Musk thistle control should be done in spring when plants are in their short rosette growth form, as herbicides are ineffective after the flowering stage.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Equipment Maintenance, Controlling Musk Thistle and No-Till on the Plains Tours

May 11, 2023
This week, extension educators review a checklist for pre-season hay equipment maintenance, tips for controlling musk thistle in pastures, and details of this year's No-Till on the Plains Whirlwind tours in June.

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Cattle grazing
Grazing wheat or harvesting it early in the boot stage for hay could also open a window of opportunity to plant a summer annual forage into the wheat stubble as a second crop if good moisture conditions are present. (Photo by Troy Walz)

Winter Wheat May Have More Value as Forage Than Taking It to Grain

May 4, 2023
Due to current cattle market conditions, and the price and availability of hay, Nebraska Extension Educator Aaron Berger evaluates the value of grazing or haying winter wheat this year.

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Alfalfa field
Spring drought can result in stressed alfalfa from aggressive weed growth, resulting in thinner stands and lower yields. View the options for herbicide control in post-emergent and established alfalfa below.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Alfalfa Weevil, Weed Control and Summer Pasture Turn-out

May 4, 2023
This week — Controlling alfalfa weeds with post-emergent herbicides, scouting for alfalfa weevil, and planning the date and pastures for spring turn-out.

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Fertilizing pasture
University research on fertilizing sub-irrigated grazed hay meadows with 70 lbs. of N, 25 lbs. of P and 20 lbs. of S per acre resulted in a 3:1 return on investment.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Calculate ROI Before Fertilizing Pastures

April 26, 2023
This week: Fertilizing pastures — an in-depth analysis on the economics of applying fertilizer to Nebraska pastures this season. 

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Irrigated alfalfa
For maximum season production, the first alfalfa cutting typically requires six to seven inches of water — if soil profiles are currently very dry, spring irrigation should be considered.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Early Season Alfalfa Irrigation, Trigger Dates and Weed Control

April 19, 2023
This week — Strategies for irrigating alfalfa in early season dry soil conditions, grazing to control abundant weed growth due to drought and forming a drought plan.

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Alfalfa field
Early spring is a good time to evaluate alfalfa stands to assess reseeding needs, and begin control measures on winter annual weeds like pennycress, downy brome and cheatgrass to get the best quality out of your first cutting of alfalfa.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Alfalfa Weed and Stand Management, Grazing Winter Annuals

April 10, 2023
This week — Tips on controlling winter annual weeds for optimum first cutting hay quality, evaluating alfalfa stands with a hay square, and grazing rye, winter wheat and triticale during a cool start to spring.

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Barta Brothers Ranch
The site of this new study is the Barta Brothers Ranch, located about 20 miles south of Long Pine in Rock and Brown counties in Nebraska.

Center for Ag Profitability Collaborates on Sandhills Grassland Management Project

April 7, 2023
First-year results of the study concluded that burn/graze systems can increase a producer's profitability while also controlling invasive eastern red cedar encroachment.

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Grasshopper
Though central and western Nebraska a have a higher risk for grasshopper outbreaks this season, a cool, wet spring would mitigate population growth not only for this growing season, but also the following year.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Alfalfa Seed Selection, Grasshoppers After Drought

April 5, 2023
This week — Reviewing seed selection to avoid anthracnose and Phytophthora root rot, assessing alfalfa stands and predictions on grasshopper populations following the 2022 drought.

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