Maintaining Persistence and Productivity of Perennial Forages in a Changing Climate

Commodities

• Agronomic: grass (misc. perennial), hay

Practices

• Animal Production: feed/forage
• Education and Training: farmer to farmer

Cool season perennial forages are central to livestock operations
in the northeast. Current harvest management includes frequent
and low mowing to optimize forage quality and allow farmers to
reduce expensive grain purchases. However, these same practices
combined with an increasingly challenging climate may reduce
forage persistence and overall above and below ground
productivity. Increasing aboveground productivity of high quality
forage is essential for farm viability while enhanced belowground
productivity may help enhance carbon sequestration and soil
health.  This on-farm project will evaluate the impact of
cutting height (1.5, 4.0, and 6.0 inches) and harvest frequency
(28, 30, 32, and 34 days) on forage persistence and productivity
of cool season perennial forages. Forage yield, quality, and
persistence as well as root biomass will be monitored over a
two-year period.  Outreach and education will be delivered
to the farming community through field days, conferences,
webinars, factsheets, and video. These resources will provide
critical management options to over 400 stakeholders so they can
build more resilient forage systems in a changing climate.

This project seeks to improve the persistence and productivity of
perennial cool season forages in response to a changing climate.
The objective of this project is to evaluate the impact of
cutting height and harvest frequency on the aboveground and
belowground productivity of perennial cool season forages in the
northeast.