To make grazing, haying or ensiling possible a plan must be in place in order for it to be successful. No matter what season planting takes place, it’s always important to have a plan. Once seeded our forages need about six weeks of growth before grazing begins. Herbicides are another big factor, what herbicides are applied to the primary crop may affect the plants’ growth in the summer months. Residuals of some chemicals can hurt and even damage the growth of some crops. Although some herbicides have very long restrictions for replanting or rotation you will need to make sure the chemical selected works well with the secondary crop or forage.

A way to ensure good growth on forage for the fall in a traditional row crop system is to airseed. Although this may reduce the yield, the benefit of this comes from having forage. Although one should be aware that the yield reduction does not push the operation into the red. Click here to read more.