Field and Forage Crops
An Overview for Small Farm Operators
Terry E. Poole
Extension Agent
Frederick County, MD
What are field crops?
• Crops grown for grain
field corn
soybeans
wheat
barley
oats
grain sorghum
cereal rye
Field crops harvested for grain often find
their way into grain elevators for
storage.
What are forage crops?
• Crops grown for animal feed.
Alfalfa
timothy
field corn (silage)
orchardgrass
red clover
kentucky bluegrass
Forage crops are harvested directly for
animal feed.
Where do field and forage crops fit?
• Both rely on machinery for production
- except for pasture (grazing)
• Field crops have high production costs
and limited prices received
- requires more than a few acres to
be profitable
• Forages are excellent conservation
crops/cover crops
Where do field and forage crops fit?
• Field crops are very flexible.
- grain (cash crop)
- animal feed (forage)
• Both forages and grains have
established markets.
• Both field and forage crops have
established production technologies.
Field Corn
• Frederick County 2001
48,000 acres planted
23,500 acres harvested for grain
24,000 acres harvested for silage
Avg. yield grain 90.1 bushels / A.
Avg. yield silage 13.5 tons/ A.
• Planting date varies (mid-April to mid-July)
• Harvest date corn grain late Aug. to Nov.
- early to late hybrid maturity
• Average price received $2.19/bushel (56 lb)
Wheat
• Frederick County 2001
13,500 acres planted
12,000 acres harvested
Average yield 65.4 bushels / A.
• Planting date early Oct. to late Nov.
• Harvest date late July
• Variety maturity date can vary 2-3 wks.
• Straw is a bonus crop $50 - $100 / ton
• Average price received for grain $2.43 / bu.
• Bushel weight 60 lb.
Soybeans
• Frederick County 2001
26,500 acres planted
25,900 acres harvested
Average yield 35.4 bushels /A.
• Planting date:
- full season: May 15 to mid-June
- double crop: late June to mid-July
• Maturity date rated by groups III, IV, and V
Group III (115-120 days) Group V (136148)
• Average price received $4.09 / bushel (60 lb)
Barley
• Frederick County 2001
6,700 acres planted
5,500 acres harvested
Average yield 71.7 bushels/ A.
• Straw is a bonus crop.
• Planting date mid-Sept. to mid-Oct.
• Harvest date mid to late June
• Maturity date can vary 2 weeks between
varieties
• Average price received $1.34 / bushel (48 lb)
Oats
• Frederick County 1997
1,400 acres planted
800 acres harvested
Average yield 62.3 bushels/ A.
• Straw is a bonus crop
• Planting date mid-March to mid-April
• Harvest date late July
• Average price received $1.44/ bushel
• Bushel weight 32 lb.
Criteria for Selecting a Crop
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Is there a market for it?
Can you use it?
Are inputs too costly, limiting profit?
Can you grow it; is there expertise
available for technical support?
• Can you get it harvested; timely?
• Does it fit into your rotation?
Be sure that when you select a
crop that you can get it harvested.
Field and forage crops can be very labor
intensive to harvest.
Field Crop Decision-Making
• Do a budget first; include:
land rental
soil preparation
seed
seeding (if custom)
fertilizer and pesticides
harvesting and drying
hauling (if custom)
storage (if necessary)
interest (on land)
crop insurance
Some Custom Farm Rates 2002
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•
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moldboard plow
disk/heavy
harrow / cultipacker
cultipack
corn/soybean planting convent.
corn/soybean planting no-till
drill small grain convent.
no-till drill seeding
combine grain
mow
spray
apply fertilizer
$16/ A
$12 / A
$12 / A
$ 9/A
$14 / A
$15 / A
$13 /A
$15 / A
$26 / A
$11 / A
$ 7/ A
$ 7/A
Take a look at some crop budgets at
http://agguide.agronomy.psu.edu/PDF03/CM/
Sec11toc.html in the Penn State Agronomy
Guide.
You will see how tight it is to make
a profit with field crops.
What is forage?
• Vegetable matter in a fresh, dried, or
ensiled state.
• What can you do with forage?
- graze it
- machine harvest and store it
- it’s animal feed
• Forage allows you to raise an
agricultural crop on land where other
crops cannot be produced.
Forage Conditions
• Fresh
- pasture / grazing
- greenchop (cut & carry)
• Dry
- hay (80 - 85% dry matter)
• Ensiled
- haylage (45 - 60% dry matter)
- silage (35 - 40% dry matter)
Silage and Haylage
• Fermented feed (anaerobic process)
- pH 3.8 to 5.0
• Storage facilities
- upright silo
- trench silo
- ag bag
- round bale stuffer
- round bale wrapper
- round bale bag
Forage Species Selection
• Match forage to your animal production
needs.
• Match forage to the style of operation.
• Match forage to the soil type and soil
conditions.
• When possible, select improved
varieties of forage species.
• Getting off to a good start with a healthy
thick stand eliminates early problems.
Forage Species Menu
• Legumes
alfalfa
red clover
white clover
hairy vetch
ladino clover
birdsfoot trefoil
crownvetch
lespedeza
soybeans
alsike clover
Legume Inoculation
• Legumes “fix” nitrogen (N)
in a symbiotic relationship (root
nodules) with Rhizobium sp. bacteria.
• Infection takes place at seed
germination so high populations of the
proper bacterium are necessary for
adequate nodulation.
Root Nodules on Clover
• This slide shows healthy, pink nodules on
clover roots.
• The nodules were formed when
Rhizobium bacteria invaded the clover
roots.
Alfalfa Roots
Healthy, pink nodule 
Healthy, functioning nodules are pink, while nonfunctioning are gray.
Alfalfa Inoculation Study
Good Inoculation
No nodulation
Here is a comparison of alfalfa plots seeded with and without
proper inoculation. The green strips are alfalfa plants grown
with proper seed inoculation. The yellow strips show severely
nitrogen deficient alfalfa plants grown without proper seed
inoculation.
Proper Inoculation
• Always inoculate legume seed, or
use pre-inoculated seed.
• Check expiration date on seed, or inoculant
package.
• Use correct inoculant specific to the legume
you are inoculating.
• Store inoculum and inoculated seed in a cool,
dry place. Inoculum is a living organism.
• Low pH and heavy N use reduce nodulation
Forage Species Menu
• Grasses
timothy
sudangrass
orchardgrass
sorghum
kentucky bluegrass sudex
tall fescue
pearl millet
perennial ryegrass
field corn
annual ryegrass
reed canarygrass
small grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats)
Mixing Forage Species
Consider the traits of each species.
Aggressive vs. Passive
Maturity dates: early vs. late
Other traits that can be utilized:
N fixation
heat tolerance
fast germination
wet tolerance
sod formation
palatability
summer dormancy hay, or grazing
life span
fertility needs
Tillage and Seeding Methods
• Conventional
moldboard plow
disk
harrow
cultipacker
planter (drop, broadcast, drill, etc.)
• Minimum till (30% or more residue)
chisel plow
disk
planter (no till drill)
• No till
no till drill
sprayer
Forage Establishment
• Plan at least 1-year ahead.
• Planning includes soil testing.
• Don’t be cheap with fertilizer, limestone,
and seed.
• Do proper field preparation.
• Select the right forage species and best
available varieties of that forage.
• Need good seed/soil contact.
• Don’t bury seed too deep.
Forage Establishment
• Pay attention to forage planting dates.
- Spring (mid-March to early May)
- Fall (mid-August to early Oct.)
- Summer annuals, after May 15
- Winter annuals (Sept. to Nov.)
• Monitor new stands for early trouble.
Harvesting Forages
• Stage of harvest is #1 quality factor.
- boot stage for grasses
- early bloom for legumes
• Field losses during harvest is #2 factor
- moisture is the enemy
- hay is most at risk while drying in
the field
- drying stems is the toughest
Harvesting Forage
• Equipment is available to help speed up
drying.
- mower conditioners, tetters, rakes,
row flippers
- drying agents, or preservatives are
available to be sprayed on hay to
speed up drying, or prevent
molding
Harvesting Forages
• Making quality forage is an art.
- need to know your forage species
- keep on top of the weather
- have flexible production options
- have timely access to equipment
- have equipment in good working order
- have healthy forage and few weeds
- have some luck!
Forage Storage Losses
• Uncovered bales stored outside
• Hay baled too wet
• Bales stacked in contact with the
ground
• Holes in plastic bags and tubes, or
leaky silos
• Poorly packed and uncovered trenches
The End