1. Field Observations

Many have struggled to harvest hay due to the rain. While it's targeted at first cutting, here is a link to an article by Joe Lawrence (with more relevant links in the article itself) that addresses the subject of how to manage over-mature hay: Forage - Storage Strategies for Over Mature Hay.

Another reminder that now is the time when perennial hayfield weeds start to make themselves known. Here is a great article from Penn State on Perennial Weed Control in Grass Forages. And here's a knapweed ID reminder from the CNY Field Crop Update from this time last summer (only spotted knapweed can be managed with biocontrols, not the other species that we commonly see in our region). The dark bracts (circled) are used to distinguish species:

2. Growing Degree Days (See: Climate Smart Farming Growing Degree Day Calculator)
Growing degree days (GDD) are calculated by taking the average daily temperature and subtracting the base temperature for development of a given organism ((High + Low)/2 - base temp = GDD). For corn, we are using base 50/86, as corn development starts at 50 degrees F and ceases above 86. Check your location, planting date, and silking date. Silage corn needs 750-800 GDD (depending on hybrid maturity) after silking to reach a whole plant DM of 32%. Under typical late season dry down conditions we can expect the crop to reach 35% DM four to seven days later (Remember that we can expect to accumulate 20-25 GDD per day, or even up to 30, so this is not a large window). For more details, see this article. No matter what the numbers say, always check your crop to see how close you may be to harvest:

3. Pest and disease monitoring

Potato leafhopper (PLH) in alfalfa - Fields sampled by Ashley Bound and Emily Anderson (CCE Chenango), working with local FFA chapters across our region to sweep alfalfa fields this year (funding provided by the Chobani Community Impact Fund):

Action thresholds are determined by comparing average crop height and average number of potato leafhoppers per sweep (at least 3 sets of 10 sweeps in different parts of the field) using a 15" diameter sweep net.

*No action needed if crop is within 1 week of cutting. If not, use a short-residual insecticide.