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Fertilizing Forages
 More and more farmers are turning to an alternative cash crop idea - making hay. AgWeb reports "It may come as a surprise to learn that hay is the third largest-acreage crop after corn and soybeans." With 63 million acres, including 23 million acres of alfalfa, hay crops represent a very large - but often overlooked - fertilizer market opportunity.
The following articles outline the basics for appropriate fertilizer management for hay crops.
Managing P and K Fertility for Forages Whether your forage crop is legume or grass, it takes a lot out of the soil. Applying manure and fertilizer to restore soil phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertility is an important aspect of managing hayfields for optimum productivity...
Mixed Hay Fields Respond to NPK in Fertilizer and Manure ACROSS Eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S., more than 5 million acres of land produces mixed hay from forage crops other than alfalfa (Table 1 1). Estimates of the economic value of the crop vary across the region, but average about US$60 per ton. The hay crop is often undervalued. Therefore, fertility needs receive little attention on much of this land. The lost opportunities arising from under-fertilizing could be in the neighborhood of $300 million...
Soil Potassium Management for Dry Cow Dairy Forages DAIRY NUTRITIONISTS are placing greater emphasis on the diets of pregnant dry cows during the transition period 3 to 4 weeks prior to calving. The transition diet has been found to be crucial in avoidance of milk fever and associated symptoms. In particular, the dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) optimum for the transition diet seems to be markedly different than that for the lactating cow. Potassium K) plays a major role in DCAD...
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