A UVM blog Outcroppings: Important crop news from the field!

At this point in the season, it is important to make sure that crops planted in June and early July will have enough heat accumulation, measured in Growing Degree Days (GDDs), to reach maturity and provide adequate yields. This year we have seen fewer GDDs than average, and a wet spring has delayed corn planting. However, it may not be too late to plant corn for silage in some locations.

From May 1^st to June 11th, 224 GDDs (with a base temperature of 50°F and a maximum temperature of 86°F for corn) have accumulated in Alburgh VT, which is 108 less than the 30-year normal of 332 GDDs, and 152 less than the 15 year average of 376. Lower accumulations of GDDs have occurred before, with the lowest on record being 207 GDDs from May 1^st to June 11^th in Alburgh, VT, and the highest being 553 GDDS.

For the year to date, from January 1^st to June 11^th, 240 GDDs have accumulation total, 135 less than the 30-year normal of 375.

The accompanying figure at the end of this document shows this year’s accumulated GDDs for corn in Alburgh, VT, starting on May 1^st, in comparison to the 30-year normal and period of record.

One option to ensure an adequate corn yield is to plant a silage variety with a lower relative maturity (RM). Corn varieties will higher relative maturities, like 110-115 RM, will require 2700-2900 GDDs. By planting corn with a lower RM, you can harvest a crop that requires closer to 2000 GDDs. Silage corn with 90-95 RM will take approximately 2200-2300 GDDs to maturity, 85-90 RM will take approximately 2000-2200 GDDs, and 80-85 RM will take approximately 1700-2000 GDDs. After June 10^th it is too late to plant most corn varieties.

Suggested planting dates in Wisconsin recommend planting corn for silage with 85-90 RM around June 10^th, 80-85 RM around June 20th, and can be planted as late as July 1^st. The table below shows projected GDDs that will likely accumulate from June 14^th to the end of October in different locations around Vermont, calculated from the average frost dates and average monthly highs and lows from usclimatedata.com.

Town	Average frost date	Projected GDDs June 14th-October 31st
Newport	Sept 21-30	1413-1448
St. Johnsbury	Sept 21-30	1501-1582
Rutland	Sept 21-30	1467-1534
Burlington	Oct 1-10	1772-1878
Salisbury	Sept 21-30	1727-1816
Randolph	Sept 11-20	1327-1381

In the warmer regions of Vermont such as Addison and Chittenden counties, you may be able to successfully plant and harvest silage corn with 80-85 RM varieties. In cooler regions, it is too late to plant corn that will reach relative maturity.

If you are outside Addison and Chittenden counties, and your silage corn is still not in the ground, or if you are in Addison and Chittenden and will not be able to plant in the next week or so, you will want to consider your other options, such as planting a cover crop. If you have crop insurance, consider what the latest planting date you can plant without affecting your coverage. When considering whether to plant soybean instead of corn, take into account whether any nitrogen was applied to the field for a corn crop, as corn will use more of the applied nitrogen than soybeans. If nitrogen amendments have been applied, corn will make the best economic use of the nutrients already applied. The application of corn herbicides will also limit what can be planted next. Brassica cover crops for forage can be planted in July, and can be planted with cereal cover crops. Brassicas will remain a good grazing forage into November as they are frost tolerant. Winter cereals and legumes can be planted in August. For more information on summer alternative forages, see Northwest Crop and Soils’ Use of “Alternative Forages” on Certified Organic Dairy Farms in the Northeast (PDF) fact sheet at https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/media/FAFOAlternativeForages.pdf.

References

Climate Smart Farming Growing Degree Day Calculator, Cornell University.

Grubinger, V. (2015). Scheduling Sweet Corn Plantings. University of Vermont Extensions Vegetable and Berry Program. https://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/SchedulingSweetCorn.html

Lauer, J. (2013). How Late Can I Plant Corn? Field Crops 28: 421-111.

usclimatedata.com

Learn about hemp production in Vermont facilitated and lecture with Heather Darby. For the first half, Stephanie Smith from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets will talk about Vermont’s Hemp Program and describe the intersection between the state and the federal governments. The second half will dig into the agronomic aspects of hemp production for seed, fiber and CBD. This webinar aired on May 17, 2019 and can be viewed here – http://go.uvm.edu/hemp101

Soybean Evaluations in Vermont

In the face of low milk prices, it is more important than ever for Vermont farmers to take stock of their operations to see where costs can be cut and efficiency increased. One aspect that cannot be overlooked is feed costs. The first step in reducing feed costs is making sure you are producing the highest yield and quality feed on your own farm. Most farmers look to corn silage and perennial grasses to provide the bulk of the ration and purchase additional components as needed to balance the quality and nutritive value. However, small grains, soybeans, and oilseeds (such as canola) can all be grown in this region and present opportunities to lower purchased feed costs.

Although soybean production is largely concentrated in the Midwest U.S., soybeans can be grown in Vermont and even into Canada. The trick is variety selection. Just like corn hybrids, there are tons of soybean varieties out there but some just aren’t’ suited to our climate. Soybeans, are separated into maturity groups ranging from 000-10, where 000 varieties are the earliest maturing. Varieties in groups 00-1 are suitable for most of Vermont although group 2 varieties may perform adequately in the southern portions of the state or in low lying valleys with milder climates. To evaluate commercially available soybean varieties in Vermont, our team has conducted annual variety trials.

In 2018 we had 22 entries from 5 seed companies in our trial conducted in Alburgh at Borderview Research Farm. The varieties ranged in maturity from 0.07 to 2.4. Soybeans were planted on 25-May and harvested on 12-Oct.

Throughout the season we experienced extended periods of hot, dry weather with only about 60% of our normal accumulation of rain. These dry conditions likely impacted pest and disease populations as little pressure from these was observed. Despite drought conditions throughout much of the season, the soybeans yielded well with an average yield of 3659 lbs ac^-1 or 61.0 bu ac^-1, approximately the same as in our 2017 trial. The six highest yielding varieties were S11XT78, S09RY62, 5B241R2, S18XT38, SG 1863, 5N211R2, and SG 1776. All these varieties produced over 3700 lbs ac^-1. However, the range in yields was dramatic with the lowest yielding variety, CM16-6058, producing less than half the yield of the top yielding variety at only 2,144 lbs ac^-1 or 35.7 bu ac^-1 (Figure 2). All varieties produced soybeans with similar test weight which averaged 54.3 lbs per bushel for the trial. All varieties produced soybeans with test weight below the industry standard of 60 lbs per bushel. This was likely due to lack of moisture throughout the season, especially during seed fill. These differences highlight the importance of careful varietal selection and monitoring to identify varieties that perform well in a variety of conditions on your farm. A full report from this trial can be found at http://www.uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil/wp-content/uploads/2018-Soybean-Variety-Trial-ReportFinal.pdf

There are 2 upcoming (free) webinars on grass-fed dairy production on December 11 and 12th hosted by eOrganic. Click on the links below to register to attend.

 

On the 11th, Kathy Sodor will speak on the use of molasses as an energy source

https://articles.extension.org/pages/74734/molasses-as-the-primary-energy-source-for-grazing-dairy-cows

 

On the 12th, Heather Darby and Sarah Flack will speak on past research and upcoming the new research about to begin on grass-fed dairy production.

https://articles.extension.org/pages/74739/grass-fed-dairy:-opportunities-and-challenges-in-this-rapidly-growing-market

We are working on our 2018 Research Reports and will post them as they are completed.

View our website at http://www.uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil/research to see new reports.

We have currently posted our Long and Short Season Corn Silage Performance Trial summaries as well as the New York and Vermont Corn Silage Hybrid Trials.

Expanded grass-fed dairy production research project to start this fall thanks to funding from USDA

Thanks to new grant funding, current research on grass fed dairy production will be expanded to a larger geographic region and scope, addressing more of the key issues in grass-fed dairy production. This new multi-year research project, funded by USDA’s Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), is titled Advancing Grass-Fed Dairy: A Whole Systems Approach to Enhancing Productivity, Quality, and Farm Viability in the US (Project no. 2018-02802).

The project, led by Dr. Heather Darby at the University of Vermont, assembles a team of farmers, consultants and researchers from several states (full list provided at end). This multi-disciplinary research team hopes to identify critical components of grass-fed dairy management that support high quality milk production, herd health, environmental health, and farm economic viability while contributing to a vibrant grass-fed dairy market that meets the needs and preferences of consumers. If you are a grass-fed dairy producer, look out for information in the mail on the project, or contact one of us if you’d like to participate.

This new project builds on recent research results on grass-fed dairy farming, as well as questions from both farmers and researchers. The project goal is to continue to meet the need for educational resources and relevant research to support farmers, service providers, and the rapidly growing grass-fed industry overall.

During the past 2 years of research, farmers and researchers in the Northeast have been documenting basic production benchmarks and practices that may contribute to successful grass-fed dairy systems. In the fall of 2016, a survey of all grass-fed dairy producers in the U.S. (140 at that time) was conducted from which 83 farmers anonymously shared data about their production practices (thank you!). This not only helped establish the first set of production benchmarks for grass-fed dairy, it also helped the collaborators better understand what additional research would be most helpful to farmers. A smaller group of 22 farms were then enrolled in a 2-year research project in which they shared data each month, and receive data reports back regularly.

This new project will begin with another survey of all grass-fed dairies in the U.S. (now estimated 300-400). If you are a grass-fed dairy producer, keep an eye out for the survey! If you receive a survey request, we hope you will fill it out and return it to us. Also, if you would like to participate in further phases of this project or want more information, please contact one of our project team. This initial part of the project will serve two purposes: 1) to get a better measure of the production practices on grass-fed dairy farms throughout the US, and 2) inform farmers about the project, and identify farmers who would be interested in participating further in this four-year project.

The new OREI project will include:

• Continued collection of information on production practices
• Information on economics and the cost of production data of grass-fed milk
• In-depth research and modeling on how the nutrient cycling and soil health differs in grass-fed systems without grain nutrients
• Research on MUN (milk urea nitrogen) and grass-fed dairy rations
• Research on high energy forages and utilization in grass-fed dairy rations
• Research on consumer preferences, market demands and potential for grass-fed market growth and expansion
• Expanded educational and networking opportunities for farmers, processors and technical service providers

For more information about this project contact Heather Darby at heather.darby@uvm.edu or 802-524-6501, Sarah Flack at sarahflackconsulting@gmail.com or 802-309-3714, or Sara Ziegler at sara.ziegler@uvm.edu or 802-524-6501.

Project Team Members
Dr. Heather Darby, Professor of Agronomy, University of Vermont Extension
Brent Beidler, Farmer Advisor, Randolph VT
André F. Brito, Associate Professor Organic Dairy, University of New Hampshire
Dr. Sidney Bosworth, Professor of Agronomy, University of Vermont Extension
Dr. Roy Desrochers, Sensory Practice Leader, Tufts University Sensory and Science Center
Sarah Flack, Grazing Livestock Specialist, Flack Consulting, Enosburg Vermont
Dr. Sabrina Greenwood, Assistant Professor of Animal Science, University of Vermont
Dr. Kathy Soder, Animal Scientist, USDA-ARS-Pasture Systems and Watershed Management
Research Unit
Albert Robbat, Jr., Director, Tufts University Sensory and Science Center, Associate Professor of
Chemistry
Sara Ziegler, Crop and Soil Coordinator, University of Vermont Extension