best fertilizer for hay fieldcmu information systems acceptance rate

. Proper fertilization helps with plant vigor, increasing longevity and production of alfalfa. The actual rate should be 50 lb N/ton of expected hay yield. Beef Magazine is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Hold off on fertilizing fields with warm-season grasses. Applying Manure to Alfalfa, Pros, Cons, and Recommendations for Three Application Strategies. Producers should be prepared to manage the increased weed pressure with timely harvests or herbicides. First, is the value of the nutrients in the material high enough to justify the cost of obtaining and applying it? If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted. Applying too much fertilizer is a waste of money; applying too little will result in less-than-optimum forage production. http://www.mbforagecouncil.mb.ca/Forage Manual Article/5-0 Forage Fertility/5-15 Manure on Alfalfa Hay- Missouri.pdf, For more information visit UMass Extension: Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine Program. Liquid manure is probably best on hay fields because there is less chance of smothering and producers are less likely to gather up remnants of the manure in the next hay harvest. Adding fertilizer to a pasture or hayfield can help infuse nutrients back into the soil and bring about robust growth of highly nutritious hay or field grass for the livestock to eat if you do it right. When livestock is given free range over a large space, the manure droppings tend to accumulate in what is known as the loafing area where the grass is most prevalent and sweet tasting, or beneath a nice big shade tree or around a water hole where the animals spend most of their non-eating time on hot days. Cows feed back 92% of the potassium they consume and 66% of the phosphorus. Almost all our potash in now mined and imported from western Canada. Legumes such as alfalfa and clover fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, but phosphorus and potassium are also key macronutrients vital to soil and plant health. What happens when we interrupt this process by removing a crop mechanically, year after year, without putting anything back? Nitrogen must be applied very soon or it will be too late for this year, says Anderson. Number 8860726. The University of Missouri soil testing lab recognizes this by crediting between 5 and 40 pounds N per acre per percent soil organic matter depending upon the soil texture and the season of the year. Warm-season grass meadows will soon start to green up, too, he writes. When pastures are grazed, nutrient cycling happens as manure and urine are deposited and trampling of some of the grasses occurs, Volesky said. The opinions of Amanda Radke are not necessarily those of beefmagazine.com or Penton Agriculture. For additional tips on fertilizing hay fields this spring and getting the most tonnage when baling, check out these five BEEF resources: Calculate manure and fertilizer equivalents with this app, Pasture fertilization starts with a soil test, Its hay time! Solid hayfield and pasture management practices begin with soil testing. Therefore, good grazing management is important to get as much out of applied nutrients as possible. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. We can grow a little grass without fertilization because Mother Nature usually gives us about 20 to 30 pounds of N per acre per year in rainfall. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. The urea is the crystal and colorless compound in nitrogen that breaks down the protein in urine excreted by animals. A 50 pound bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer contains 15 actual pounds of fertilizer nutrients, and the rest being comprised of natural filler materials like limestone and sand. Grazing livestock recycles nutrients. Removing hay removes a lot of nutrients. The pounds of nutrients in the bag is directly related to the amount of nutrients and formulated via a math equation based upon multiplying 50 by the first number in the recipe. The labels on fertilizer bags can be quite confusing, especially to newbie homesteaders. Legume hay crops need less nitrogen than grass plants. The distribution of forage growth in pastures may also be more favorable, thus helping reduce the need for stored feed. Our fields have responded well to the rainy days, and the cool-season grasses are really thriving in the late spring season. While moderate rainfall will incorporate most sources of nitrogen when topdressed, be mindful when predicted rainfall exceeds 1 inch which increases potential losses of nitrogen into downstream water sources. Legume and grass hayfields probably do not require the same amount of fertilizer to grow. Common cool season hay grass varieties include wheatgrass, brome, Timothy, and bluegrass. Apply manure when soil is not wet. Several factors are causing the increase in fertilizer prices, says Mitchell. These steps will need to be repeated if the hayfield or pasture being tested is comprised of varying environmental attributes like those noted above. Alabama produces more total nutrients annually in broiler wastes than are in all the fertilizers sold in the state, and many producers are taking advantage of this relatively abundant source of organic fertilizer. CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. Legume and grass hayfield need a different mixture and quantity of fertilizer than hayfields that grow oat based hay, for example. • Each producer will have to look at his or her resources, and level of grazing management, to decide which alternative works best on their farm. A soil test can tell you how much phosphorus to use; usually 20-40 pounds peracre will stimulate legume growth nicely in most hay meadows. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State. Columbus, OH 43210 If there is little to light residue it should only take one quarter to half of an inch to dissolve the urea into the dirt. Should hay producers fertilize? The first number on a fertilizer bag refers to the amount of nitrogen (N) container in the bag. Simply spreading fertilizer on the ground without knowing what type of mix that you need or when it is really needed is like driving without headlights down a dark and curvy country road you will eventually get somewhere, but a lot of damage will likely occur along the way. However, soil tests should be periodically taken as phosphorus and potassium will likely be needed.. Hayfields are often best fertilized AFTER the first harvesting of hay or straw. The information presented here, along with any trade names used, is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is made by Ohio State University Extension is implied. Keeping these facts in mind, says Mitchell, Alabama producers can get the most out of their fertilizer budget with one of several available alternatives. On the average, a ton of fresh broiler litter will contain at least 60-60-40 pounds N-P2O5-K2O. The lightweight fertilizer material clings to the filler, and helps in the dispersal process. Legume and grass-style hay will nearly always flourish in the spring without the need of any fertilizer because it has had all winter to rest and build up nutrients. On the other hand, with controlled grazing management, the percent of utilization of the forage produced may be 20 percent to 30 percent higher. With a hay crop, its all taken off, and you are removing nutrients year after year. Unless you are guessing at what your dirt needs and buying off the shelf (which is strongly recommended against) the staff at the agriculture store will mix the fertilizer to meet the specific needs of the soil being treated. They hold moisture, drain better, and provide mineralized N to the growing grass crop. This publication has been funded in part by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, Inc. Civil Rights and Non-Discrimination Information, UMass Research and Education Center Farms, Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory, Water Testing / Environmental Analysis Laboratory, Conservation Assessment Prioritization System (CAPS), Extension Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education, North American Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative, Agriculture & Commercial Horticulture Resources. Timing of fertilizer application is everything. The rate to apply declines as we go from east to west use about 80 poundsof nitrogen per acre in eastern Nebraska but only 30-40 poundsin the Panhandle., 3. Where high rates of phosphorus and potassium are recommended, there is an advantage to splitting the application, with half applied now after the first harvest and the remainder applied in the fall. Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil. The roller coaster that is fertilizer prices appears to be headed back up for 2011, after reaching a peak in 2008 and dropping rapidly in 2009. Fortunately, there are alternatives, but none of them are cheap. Once you know how much the ground needs you can figure the cost of fertilizer and get a pretty good idea of what kind of a return youd be looking at based on the value of the hay. al., 2002.Managing Manure for Alfalfa Hay. 2022 University of Massachusetts Amherst Site Policies, Center for Agriculture, Food,andtheEnvironment, UMassExtension Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine Program, Best Management Practices (BMP)/Environmental Protection, http://www.manuremanager.com/content/view/1505/131, http://www.mbforagecouncil.mb.ca/Forage Manual Article/5-0 Forage Fertility/5-15 Manure on Alfalfa Hay- Missouri.pdf, UMass Extension: Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine Program, CenterforAgriculture, Food, and theEnvironment, Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. Infusing the nitrogen in just prior to the spring flush could also increase toxins in tall fescue grass that has been infected with endophyte. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Without fertilizers, wed have to go back to running cattle in the piney woods of south Alabama like settlers did in the 1800s and early 1900s.. For example, do you have much clover or other legumes in your hay meadow? Soils high in organic matter are more productive. University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service. Strategic applications of nitrogen might be needed on pure grass hay and pasture stands. It is not recommended to add nitrogen on alfalfa as it is a legume and should not need any additional nitrogen, Bauder said.