Triticale Harvest has Begun!

A lot of early planted triticale acres were chopped this week. Average yields are being reported. I looked at some today in Wayne County and the flag leaf was poking out an inch or two.  Unfortunately, the weather does not look like it is going to cooperate with harvest in the next week.  Remember, Feekes stage 9 is when the flag leaf has emerged enough to see the leaf collar. The Team has a short video showing the optimal time for triticale harvest and how to determine Feekes stage 9, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIk2X-tM84Q.

Cereal Leaf Beetles are Still Active in Winter Grains

Cereal leaf beetles (CLB) continue to be easy to find in some wheat fields.  Not all wheat fields have them and I have been in plenty that had none.  I continue to see adults paired up and mating and I had to search but I found the first eggs.  Remember, there are no thresholds for adults in small grains. CLB eggs are orange and usually laid down the midrib of the leaf.  There could be just one egg or several in a chain.  Threshold is three eggs and larvae per plant prior to flag leaf emergence and then one larva per flag leaf.  Oats next to other winter grains will have to be watched closely in areas where CLB are present in high numbers. The May 5 USDA NASS report for NY estimated that only 34% of the oats have been planted.

Winter Wheat Update

The wheat I looked at this week was at Feekes 7 (two nodes visible) and 8 (flag leaf emerging) on the earlier planted fields.   I’m sure there are some at Feekes 9 (collar of flag leaf visible). The weather has been good, and the wheat development is moving quickly.  I still think all our winter grains (wheat, barley and rye) are 7 to 10 days ahead of normal.  Some farms are still trying to spray their herbicides before Feekes 9 cutoff and nitrogen application should be completed.  On May 5, USDA NASS NY rated the wheat crop as 0% very poor, 10% poor, 40% fair, 27% good and 23% excellent.  Malting barley is headed out and fungicide applications are being applied for head scab protection.  Barley is usually 10 to 14 days ahead of wheat on average flowering date.

Pheromone Trap Update

Black cutworms (BCW) continue to arrive and significant flights were caught at four of the six locations.  The site in Wyoming County had a significant number of moths caught for the third week in a row.  The Penn Yan site has also had good flights for the past two weeks.  We will hit 90-degree days across the whole region today, May 8.  This means that there has been enough heat for the eggs of the first moths that arrived on April 24 to hatch.  Eggs from the other flights will hatch soon too.  The next number we will be looking for is 300-degree days which is when BCW larvae will be cutting corn plants.

Common armyworms were a no-show last year, but we continue to see them being active and arriving in big numbers in Yates and Wyoming Counties.  Winter grain and grass fields will be the places we will need to watch in a couple weeks.

• Egg hatch around 90 Degree Days
• Plant cutting around 300 Degree Days
• Degree Day data from Network for Environment and Weather Applications, NEWA

Summary of Alfalfa Height and Prediction of % NDF- May 4, 2024

1^st Cutting Forage Quality Update

This is the first week of monitoring 1^st cutting for quality this year. Our procedure consists of using alfalfa height to predict Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) for alfalfa, alfalfa/grass mixed and grass stands. Alfalfa height has proven to be a reliable indicator of NDF values in the field.

Height indicators alfalfa and grass for NDF content are below:

• In general, we say 100% grass stands should be cut when nearby alfalfa is 14 inches tall to achieve the desired 50% NDF.
• Begin cutting 50/50 mixed alfalfa and grass stands when nearby alfalfa is 22 inches tall for the desired 44% NDF.
• Begin cutting 100% alfalfa stands when alfalfa is 28 inches tall for desired 40% NDF.

Predicted days to cut are based on daily NDF increases for grasses of 1% point, 50/50 mixed stands of 0.8% points and alfalfa of 0.5% point. NDF usually increases about 0.8 to 1.2/day for grasses expecting the lower end of that range in cooler weather and the higher end in warmer. Alfalfa NDF increases about 0.4 to 0.7/ day again depending on temperatures. Predictions are adjusted for the coming week’s weather and right now assuming normal growth.

In the attached spreadsheet locations around the region are listed where we have measured alfalfa height. You can use the location and elevation as a guide to conditions that may be similar to your farm.

As of today, May 7th, 2024, alfalfa heights averaged 14 inches across all locations. An average growth of 2 inches. Triticale and rye are swiftly approaching harvest stage. This was driven by the short burst of warm weather. We also experienced some cold nights and have seen some spring freeze injuries across the region. Like last year, rain is expected to move in during our triticale and grass harvest. For high quality feed, pure grass stands should be harvested just before the heads start to peek out. So, for northwestern New York, that means harvest should begin this week around May 8^th or as soon as weather and ground conditions permit. Injured stands should be given the time to grow to build up those energy reserves. This will help the stand recover and regrow the rest of the summer. With the combination of warm weather and moisture, you need to be ready to take advantage of the breaks in weather. It is important that you get first cutting off in a timely manner for quality purposes, so please communicate in advance with your team on how you are going to plant corn and successfully harvest 1^st cutting.

**If your location is not listed above but you know the height of your alfalfa, this chart is for you:

Next report will be May 15.

Assisting Mike Stanyard and Jodi Letham is Field Support Specialist- Melissa Keller