Our annual springtime alfalfa-grass height/quality monitoring program is underway across the North Country. Our first report for this week is posted on our website here.
- Alfalfa growth has been slow and a bit behind so far this spring, due to cool temperatures. Average alfalfa height was 5.8″ this week.
Accumulation of GDD41 so far this spring is a bit behind 15‐year averages. Over the past 5 years, alfalfa heights during this first week of May have averaged 9.2″, 6.6″, 6.8″, 5.6″, 10.1″. GDD41 are behind average, but they can catch up fast. - Winter damage to alfalfa, from ice sheeting, lack of snow cover or severely cold temperatures appears to be minimal this spring.
- Field moisture has been dry enough for lots of manure application progress across the region. Rain over the past few days has slowed field work.
- Nitrogen should be applied to grass fields (if less than 50% legume and no manure history) very soon, if it’s not already on. Fields with >50% legume and/or with a manure history may not need any additional N. Ideally, N application should be timed just prior to the increase in plant demand to limit risk of losses to ground and surface water and to the atmosphere. (Risk of volatilization is higher for urea applied to sods than to tilled soils, but when applied just before a 0.5″ rain, or with a urease‐inhibitor, N loss can be minimized.)
Conditions seem favorable for a good week of manure applications, field prep, forage seedings and the early row crop plantings for some. Soil moisture is generally not excessive, though light rains early this week have kept machinery out of fields. The 8 to 14-day weather outlook is for a high chance of above-normal temperatures with a likely probability of below-average precipitation.
Have a good week and don’t hesitate to reach out to Mike Hunter and I or your local CCE office for more info or help with recommendations.