Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Because most grass fields are cut only once, the farmer often waits until the plants are
very tall and seed heads are mature. This results in a high yield and safe roughage, but one
with low nutritive value. Ideally, grasses should be cut at the boot stage, when the seed
heads are just emerging from the stem. The emerging head will be short, compact, and re-
silient, not 3 inches long, dry, fuzzy, and shedding seeds.
This grass-alfalfa field hasmatured pastthe optimum stage forcutting. The alfalfa is
in full bloom and the grass seed heads are full blown and releasing seeds. If put up
properly, it would make a safe but less nutritious hay.
Mixed hays, such as grass/alfalfa, are cut using the maturity of the alfalfa plants as a
guide. Each day a plant stands after first flowering or past the boot stage, crude fiber in-
creases and crude protein decreases by about 0.5 percent.
