Forage Management Calendar

January

• Calculate financial budget for this coming year's forage enterprises. Investigate ideas on reducing costs or increasing income from forages.
• Attend educational meetings that relate to your forage enterprise.
• Graze corn stalks but supplement with good quality forages.
• Provide wind break or shelter for animals and feed extra energy if very cold weather.
• Keep snowmobiles and other traffic off of alfalfa.
• Renew your membership in the Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council (PFGC).

February

• Order seed and supplies for spring forage seeding.
• Attend educational meetings that relate to your forage enterprise.
• Keep snowmobiles and other traffic off of alfalfa.
• Begin routine maintenance and repairs on forage planting and harvesting equipment.
• Remove cattle from corn stalks to avoid excessive soil compaction.
• In late February, frost seed legumes into small grains or pastures.

March

• Finish frost seeding by early March.
• Finish routine maintenance and repairs on forage planting and harvesting equipment.
• Complete maintenance check and repairs on forage planting and harvesting equipment.
• Order supplies (spare high wear parts, twine, balage wrap or bags) for forage harvest.

April

• Scout alfalfa fields for heaving and winter injury. If severe, make plans to thicken stand with grass or make plans to rotate to another crop.
• Begin scouting for alfalfa weevil in late April.
• Plant cool-season forages when soil is suitable.
• Apply nitrogen to grass pastures and hay fields at greenup.
• Begin grazing. Be aware of bloat or grass tetany potential and take proper precautions.
• Remove grazing livestock from fall-seeded small grains prior to jointing.

May

• Finish planting cool-season forages by early May.
• Seed warm-season grasses.
• Seed summer-annual grasses.
• Continue scouting for alfalfa weevil begin scouting for potato leaf hoppers.
• If excess forage is available in pasture, then divert some of the paddocks into hay/silage production.
• Apply phosphorus and potassium to forages after the first harvest according to soil test recommendations.
• Harvest fall seeded small grains at the boot stage for top quality.
• Begin making hay or silage from perennial forages based on the quality forage you wish to harvest.

June

• Clip mature forages that were not grazed.
• Seed summer-annual grasses.
• Continue scouting for alfalfa weevil and potato leaf hoppers.
• Harvest established forages 30 to 35 days after first harvest.
• Harvest spring oats for forage at the boot stage.

July

• Graze perennial warm-season or summer-annual forages as cool-season pasture growth slows.
• Plant brassica crops for fall grazing.
• Continue to harvest established forages on a 30 to 35 day schedule.
• Continue scouting for potato leaf hoppers.
• Harvest spring seeded forages approximately 75 days after seeding.
• Purchase forage seed needed for August seeding.
• Prepare fields intended for August seeding.

August

• Complete August forage seedings.
• Continue to harvest established forages on a 30 to 35 day schedule.
• Continue scouting for potato leaf hoppers.
• Harvest spring seeded forages approximately 75 days after seeding.
• Inventory harvested forage. If additional forage needs to be purchased consider buying them locally "out of the field". This maybe cheaper than waiting till winter and purchasing them.
• Sample and test hay and silage for forage quality.
• Stop grazing those cool-season forage paddocks that will be stockpiled for grazing in November or December.

September

• Final forage harvest should be completed early this month.
• After the final hay harvest, apply fertilizer for stand maintenance and to improve winter survival.
• Begin grazing summer-seeded brassica forage.
• Stop grazing perennial warm-season forages to improve winter survival.
• Sample and test hay and silage for forage quality.

October

• Soil test fields that will be seeded to forages next year. Apply lime now to adjust soil pH.
• Continue grazing summer-seeded brassica forage.
• Harvest summer-seeded small grain forage.

November

• If not done in October, soil test fields that will be seeded to forages next year. Apply lime now to adjust soil pH.
• If the forage is needed, a final harvest of alfalfa can be taken when growth has stopped and the temperature drops to 24 F or lower.
• If needed, apply fall herbicides for control of winter-annual weeds in legume fields.
• Continue grazing summer-seeded brassica forage.
• Begin grazing stockpiled forages.
• Overgraze pastures that are to be overseeded with legumes in February or March.
• Consider pasturing corn stover as a feed cost reduction strategy.

December

• Begin feeding supplemental forage to cattle grazing corn stover.
• Continue grazing summer-seeded brassica forage.
• Continue grazing stockpiled forages.
• Overgraze pastures that are to be overseeded with legumes in February or March.
• Order seed for frost seeding in February and March.
• Calculate cost and returns associated with this past year's forage enterprises.
• Keep snowmobiles and other traffic off of alfalfa.
• Begin reviewing University and Industry data as to which species and varieties to seed on your farm next year.