In the spring 2011 Field Crop Notes Newsletter, put out by Steve Orloff, Farm Advisor, with the UC-Davis Siskiyou County Cooperative Extension, there are a bunch of great articles with topics that speak to issues related to forage production in Klamath County.
The topics are:
- Which Should You Use: Urea or Ammonium Sulfate: This article has some great insight into looking at both these fertilizer options and how to minimize losses of applied N to the environment. It also has some eye opening data from an Oregon State University study showing how high losses of N may really be, if proper management is not followed at or around fertilizer application.
- Comparison of Small Grain Hay Varieties: This has some interesting information regarding forage grain varieties at two harvest timings (Late Boot/Early Heading and Soft-Dough). The data is from a field trial conducted by UC Davis last year (2010). It includes traditional forage type varieties of oats, wheat, barley, and triticale as well as some newer released hay type varieties. This is worth a look if you grow small grain for hay.
- Another Bad Stem Nematode Year: Although determining the years when stem nematode will raise their ugly heads and give you fits in your alfalfa is not fool proof, conditions are looking good for 2011. Check this out to see how you can manage this problem and prevent spreading the problem to clean fields.
- Is Roundup Ready Alfalfa Higher or Lower Yielding than Conventional Alfalfa?: If you have been considering roundup ready alfalfa or just want to learn more about it, check out this article. You will glean some great insight into how conventional and Round up Ready (released and experimental) varieties yield’s stack up under conventional herbicide regimes and with roundup use for the Roundup Ready varieties. This is 5 years of data, including the establishment year.
If you want to view or print this newsletter click the following link: Spring 2011 Field Crop Notes
