August 1, 2002

Extension Specialist Looks at the Potential of CRP Hay

How much help the release of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands for haying and grazing will be to producers facing possible hay shortages, will be determined over the next couple of weeks, according to a North Dakota State University range specialist.

July 2 is the earliest CRP lands have been opened for forage use since the CRP was formed in the 1986 Farm Bill. This early date should improve the nutritional quality of the forage, but it is not the only factor that will affect the feed value.

"The main concern we have is that there is going to be a large amount of duff in the bale," NDSU Extension Specialist Kevin Sedivec says. "These lands have not been cut since 1996, so there is going to be a high percentage of organic litter."

The earlier cutting date should be of some assistance to producers. "An earlier harvest can boost protein yields by 2 to 3 percent or higher," Sedivec says.

Concrete answers to the protein values of the 2002 CRP hay are coming soon. "We have contacted all the county extension agents in the state," Sedivec says, "and we should start getting samples for analysis."

Sedivec recommends that all producers test their hay so that they’ll know what they’re feeding, but the NDSU Extension Service wants to help producers with feeding plans. "With the results from the county samples, we are going to come up with scenarios based on averages of hay composition and harvesting dates," Sedivec says. "These should provide producers with a good estimate of what feed value they can expect from their hay. We did this in 1996, using over 100 CRP hay samples. This year we expect about 200."

These scenarios will also include examples using different sources of protein and energy supplements. "Depending on where in the pregnancy cycle a cow is, the dietary requirements can vary significantly," Sedivec states. "These figures should make it easier to see when and how much the livestock producer needs to supplement CRP hay."

Sedivec points out another issue with alternative hay types that include hay harvested from wetlands and sloughs. "When you feed wetland grasses, they tend to create a diuretic effect in livestock," Sedivec says. "Because of the cell wall structure of those plants, the cattle may lose some of the nutrients and, as a consequence, not do so well on a wetland forage base. What we recommend when feeding wetland or wet meadow hay is to alternate it with a dryland hay; use them as part of a planned ration or in a rotation."

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Source: Kevin Sedivec, (701)231-7647, ksedivec@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Writer: Scott Lowell, (701)231-7882, slowell@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Becky Koch, (701)231-7875, bkoch@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Click here for a printable PDF version of this graphic. (6KB b&w graph)
Click here for a printable EPS version of this graphic. (77KB b&w graph)

Nutrient Content of Emergent Plants Found in Prairie Wetlands
(based on 100% dry matter)
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                                    Crude    Dry-matter
                      Date         protein  digestibility
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Broad-leaved cattail  15 July        3.8        ----
(Typha latifolia)     15 August      2.8         27
                      16 September   3.5        ----
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Slough sedge          11 July        9.4         40
(Carex atherodes)      4 August      7.4         37
                      21 August      7.5         31
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Northern reedgrass    10 August      7.1         45
(Calamagrostis	
inexpensa)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Reed canarygrass       4 August      5.2         43
(Phalaris             16 September   4.1        ----
arundinacea)
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