Pasture and Forage Minute: Improving Forage Quality with Oats, Italian Ryegrass, Grass Mixtures
Oats - An Excellent Fall Forage in 6-8 Weeks
Nebraska Wheat Crop Forecast at 51.4 mil bu, up 4% from 2018
Crop Conditions: Corn 87% Good-Excellent, Soybean 86% Good-Excellent
With recent rains, Nebraska's corn and soybean crops were faring well across much of the state. Corn condition was rated 78% good and 9% excellent and soybean was rated 78% good and 8% excellent for the week ending June 3.
Winter Wheat 58% Good to Excellent
Winter wheat condition in Nebraska was rated 12% excellent, 46% good, 34% fair, 7% poor, and 1% very poor, according to the April 9 report from USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Growers Report Oats Not Performing As Expected
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been bombarded with questions about why oats are short and heading out early. I’m still looking for the answer.
Oats are becoming more and more popular as an inexpensive, reliable forage. The crop tends to thrive during cool, wet springs, such as we had this year from mid-April through May, which further begs the question as to why they’re so short.
Nebraska Wheat Condition 60% Good-Excellent
For the week ending April 3 temperatures varied widely across Nebraska, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Parts of the Panhandle experienced below normal temperatures, while large portions of eastern Nebraska experienced temperatures up to five degrees above normal.
Pros & Cons of Using Companion Crops When Planting Alfalfa
Alfalfa often may be seeded with a companion crop like oats to control weeds and erosion and provide a crop of grain or hay. Clear seeding alfalfa alone, without a companion crop, also works well. A preplant herbicide like trifluralin, Balan or Eptam often is sprayed and incorporated first to control weeds in a clear seeding, but a herbicide isn't always necessary. So, which p