Forage | University of Maryland Extension

Updated: October 23, 2024

Fall Armyworm Alert: Scout Sod and Pastures!

A fall armyworm outbreak is occurring throughout Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. This week, we received a report of armyworm damage to sod from Maryland’s Eastern Shore as well as residential lawns in Lewes, Delaware. This appears to be one of the most significant armyworm flights in many years. Scout turf, sod, pasture grasses, any late sweet corn that has not yet headed, and when the time comes, small grain and cover crops. Females lay egg masses containing between 50 and 200 eggs, meaning damage can be localized and intense and that it does not take many moths to infest a field. It is important to catch an infestation as early as possible. Larvae consume 80% of their total intake during the last three days of larval development. Often, it is during this period or just after larvae have finished that damage is noticed, occurring seemingly overnight as if an army had stripped the field. It takes about 14-19 days for larvae to mature.

Updated: October 22, 2024

Women In Agriculture Webinar Series on Risk Management: Production

This webpage is the production archives of the Women In Agriculture webinars.

Updated: October 21, 2024

Drought Management and Recovery for Pastures and Hayfields

Discover essential strategies to navigate the challenges of drought management! This article provides valuable insights that can help you sustain your pastures and optimize your hayfields during dry conditions. Learn how to extend your forage supply, promote faster recovery, and safeguard your operations for a more resilient future. Don’t miss these practical tips—your livestock and land will thank you! Dive in to explore actionable solutions that can make a real difference!

Cattle grazing in pasture with drought conditions.

Updated: October 11, 2024

Reducing the Risk of Prussic Acid Poisoning

Warm-season annuals can serve as a means to provide forage for livestock during the summer months when the growth of cool-season perennials is slowed. In many cases, regrowth can allow for more than one grazing or harvest to be obtained from these forages. Under certain conditions, there is potential for prussic acid accumulation in some of these warm-season annual species.

Updated: October 11, 2024

Row Crop and Forage Production Meetings

A list of meetings for Row Crop and Forage producers.

Updated: September 13, 2024

Agronomy News-August 2024

Agronomy News, August 2024, Volume 15, Issue 4. Inside this issue: Fall Forage: Playing Catch-Up, New Wildlife Management Classes & Community, Wildlife Management Webinars, Small Grain Variety Trials, Soybean Research Field Day, Reporting Tar Spot, Podworms in Soybeans, Ag Technology Conference, Summer Grazing Management, Grain Market Outlook, USDA Notice to Beneficiaries, Weather Outlook, and Regional Crop Reports.

Updated: August 6, 2024

Fall Forage: Playing Catch-Up

Updated: June 13, 2024

No-Till Spring Vegetables After Forage Radish Cover Crop (FS-1134)

A late August seeding of forage radish (Raphanus sativus L.) can eliminate the need for tillage before many early spring vegetable crops like spinach, beets, peas, onions, and even carrots under certain soil conditions in Maryland. In addition to reducing soil disturbance, not having to till prior to spring planting reduces labor requirements at a critical point in the season and may allow earlier planting. Forage radish, which winterkills when temperatures drop to 17-20°F, suppresses early spring weeds, allows soil to dry out and warm up, and provides an increased supply of N, S, P and other nutrients to crops in early spring. Because of the minimal amount of residue after forage radish, conventional planting equipment can effectively seed directly into the winterkilled cover crop without tillage. For early transplanted crops like onions, rows of radish can create holes into which transplants can be dropped. Experiment station results in Maryland and farmer trials throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeast have shown that this system requires a closed cover crop canopy in fall and may be ineffective in poorly structured, heavy soils. Authors: Natalie Lounsbury and Ray Weil; Title: No-Till Spring Vegetables After Forage Radish Cover Crop (FS-1134).

Updated: October 30, 2023

Alfalfa Weevil (FS-1096)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is an important forage crop for dairy and beef cattle, swine, poultry, sheep, and horses. In Maryland, alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), occasionally cause significant damage on susceptible cultivars. Author: Margaret Hartman; Title: Alfalfa Weevil-A Pest of Early Season Alfalfa (FS-1096) Alfalfa weevil was first detected in Utah in 1904, and has since spread throughout the contiguous United States. It was first detected in Maryland in 1951. Efforts to suppress alfalfa weevil populations in Maryland have been largely successful because of biological control, but continued monitoring and management programs are vital to avoid localized pest outbreaks. Author: Margaret Hartman; Title: Alfalfa Weevil-A Pest of Early Season Alfalfa

Updated: October 9, 2023

Agronomy News-October 2023

Agronomy Newsletter -October 2023, Volume 14, Issue 7. Topics include: Pesticide & Nutrient Management Trainings, EPA Webinar on Bulletins Live Two, 2023 Crop Management School Registration, Scout for Aphids in Small Grains, 2022-2023 Cover Crop Growth and Tillage, On-Farm Research Trials, Tar Spot Confirmed in Additional Counties, Job Openings: Nutrient Management Advisors, Updated Tax Credits for Farmer Food Donations, Farm Storage Facility Loan Program, Cost-Share for Manure Transport & Injection, Grain Market Report, Weather Outlook, Regional Crop Reports.