Ohio Farmers Warned Against Cutting Hay too Late
US – Cutting pastures too late will reduce storage of carbohydrates in roots and impact winter survival chances, pasture farmers have been warned.
12 September 2013
1 minute read
Stan Smith, Extension adviser at Ohio State University has urged for farmers to be aware that grass will not regrow well next spring if it is cut late and that pastures have been under considerable drought pressure.
“If the stand is pure grass, the timing of the last cutting is less of an issue, but certainly still a consideration for maintaining a healthy stand that can grow aggressively when spring breaks,” said Mr Smith.
“Killing frost of alfalfa happens when air temperatures reach 25 degrees F for several hours. If there's much alfalfa and/or red clover in the stand, it's particularly important to time the last harvest at least 30 days before freezing temperatures are expected in order to safely maintain a healthy stand into next spring.”
He described hay cutting opportunities in Ohio as ‘few and far between’ this summer and added that the forecast would suggest that the last opportunities will be over the coming days.
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