Other Forage

In recent years, cover crops have gained popularity throughout many parts of the nation. Much research has been done evaluating their use in cropping systems and their utility in improving soil health. More recently, more research has started investigating their usefulness as a forage source.

Have you thought about planting cover crops this year, but don’t know where to start?

As more and more farmers experiment with cover crops for the first time, a number of questions come up. The following are some of the most frequently asked questions I hear.

Is there someone in your life who occasionally reorganizes your possessions without prior consultation? If so, you are probably familiar with the joy of rediscovering prized possessions.

The forage sorghum family of plants plays a huge role in summer forage production across much of the country. The most common ones used in forage agriculture are forage sorghum, sudangrass and sorghum-sudan hybrids.

Small-grain winter annual grass crops are commonly used as forages across the U.S. in many livestock production systems as grazed and stored (hay and silage) forages. Small- grain crops include wheat, oats, rye, triticale and barley.

Timothy hay is Washington state’s largest- and highest-valued grass hay commodity. Timothy hay in the Pacific Northwest is primarily grown for export to Japan to be used for feed in dairy herds. In the lower Columbia Basin, researchers have received yields up to 10 tons per acre per year in three cuttings, but most farmers get two cuttings and receive around 5 to 7 tons per acre per year.