Will it ever stop?

As we continue to see rain and gray sky's the question arises will this trend ever stop and allow us to get back to the fields? We are under the influence of a cold front moving across the mid west being fueled by an extreme trough in the jet stream. This trough is fueling this moist weather with gulf moisture. This slow moving trough looks like it may release by early next week. Hopefully that brings enough dry weather to get us back into the fields to finish up harvest.

Cover Crop Walk a Success

The rain held off today for the cover crop walk. We had over 20 individuals come out to learn about cover crops and what they can do for their farm. All the plot signs will now remain up at least for the rest of the fall, possibly through winter. If you want to stop in and see what is there feel free. If you need more information simply contact me at jdr21@psu.edu or by calling the office (717) 263-9226 and I'll be happy to talk with you.

Ready for Friday!

This post is a friendly reminder of the cover crop field day this Friday from 10:00-12:00. The plot is located on Walker Rd. east of I-81. Signs will be posted on Friday to assist you. Come learn more about the cover crops you know as well as see lots of new species and mixtures.

To Cut or Not to Cut, that really is the quesiton

With our first major frost behind us many questions arise about what is next and what we should do. One of the most pressing is what if you have standing alfalfa? This perennial crop needs enough energy to get through the winter, but we often don't want to waste what is still in the field. The question arises is alfalfa now dormant and thus OK to cut? I had a discussion with Dr. Marvin Hall today about considerations for alfalfa after a frost. Here are some of the main points.

• Depending on your previous management of the crop this may be a mute point. If at any point this season you had 1/10th bloom or better you probably have enough stored energy to get through the winter. If you made every cut for maximum quality (no bloom) you may be short energy.


• Alfalfa takes a very hard freeze to go into dormancy. Typically we need to get down around 25 degrees for multiple hours to trigger dormancy. Currently our alfalfa probably is not dormant.


• Alfalfa that has gone into dormancy will quickly come back out at the first sign of warm weather. With the forecast and today's temperatures if your alfalfa would have gotten enough cold temps to initiate dormancy it is no longer dormant. Wait till cold temps are the norm, not the extreme.

Another point of discussion I brought up was cutting height. I have typically been under the impression to cut high on the last cutting to offer protection of the crown throughout the winter. Dr. Hall stated this was an OK practice but may be more trouble then needed due to our more southerly location and lower amounts of snow. Cut high if you want to make sure your safe or as normal if you believe this will be a 'normal' winter.

See Dr. Hall's latest article in this weeks Field Crop News on this very topic! (will be posted tomorrow).

First Major Frost

This morning the thermometer dropped to 28 at my house just before sunrise. This will be the first attempt at a hard frost (below 28 degrees for a few hours) but not successful at least at my house. It does appear we may have a general warming trend over the next few days as high pressure builds in and the trough in the jet stream moves over us. Overall I think we will see some damage on sensitive plants in areas but at this point it appears we have another week of growing season left.

Some Cover Crops are Drawing to a Close

As frost nears (see last post) we are keeping an eye on our cover crop variety trials. We have a pretty good idea on most of our species that will winter kill, such as oats and radish, however some are unknown how they will behave in this climate. The early planting of oats and radish is doing well with lots of biomass, however our later planting is just starting to slowly take off. It is doubtful this will see major growth in the next few days/weeks prior to frost. Hopefully you can attend the upcoming cover crop walk on Friday the 23rd and see for yourself what the individual species are doing.

First Signs of Frost

This morning as the dawn began a light frost settled on the grass and my vehicle. Another reminder we are progessing further into fall. The long range shows temperatures in the middle 30's for lows over the next few days. This is far from the hard frost it will take to see damage but reminds us the growing season is drawing to a close. Keep an eye on susceptible crops such as late planted corn. Likely we will begin to see some burn on leaf margins over the next week in some fields, however little actual damage should be done to the crop.

Cover Crops Growing Well!

The cover crop plots around the county are growing well. It has been amazing with these warm afternoons how much growth some of these species have put on. With a ten day forecast showing warmer temperatures and no sign of frost it will be interesting to see what kind of growth we get out of our later plantings. Their will be a cover crop walk on Friday October 23rd from 10-noon for any interested.

It's Bean Time!

With combines busy around the county corn, and now beans, are getting to their harvest windows. The field I was in yesterday was averaging around 72-75 bu/ac. Hopefully you will find some high yields in your fields as well. As always make certain your combine is properly set and get out to check what is coming out the back end of the machine. Harvest losses can be very high with poorly set machines. Also if you are no-tilling remember to adjust your choppers so that you have uniform distribution across the header width. This adjustment will pay large dividends next time you plant the field. Regardless of the crop make sure your combine isn't putting a large amount of commodity out the back end. Hopefully you can enjoy a safe and happy harvest with lots of high yields.