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Meadowlark Extension District Agronomy Blog

Tag: brome

Smooth Brome Season of Use

Posted on by David Hallauer

Smooth Bromegrass is the predominant species in most of our forage systems. It’s been shown to fit our growing season well and fertility management has allowed us to push production, particularly in some of our deeper soils.

But it’s not perfect. Fertility needs have increased. It likes moisture, and season of use must be understood so we can best manage it for the current season and beyond. We can’t do much yet this season about some of brome’s needs, but an understanding of season of use can still be valuable.

Continue reading “Smooth Brome Season of Use” →

Fall Armyworm Scouting Results – 2023

Posted on by David Hallauer

On August 11, 2021, an observant local agronomist found armyworm feeding injury in a brome stand in the Meadowlark Extension District. It would be the first of many calls and discussions lasting well into 2022, with damage done to some stands still discernible to this day.

That fall saw some of the heaviest feeding pressure noted in some time because of multiple factors that came together to make a bad thing a very bad thing. Drought that had been slowly spreading from the south and west across the state and reached Northeast Kansas after hay harvest. When armyworms arrived, there wasn’t a lot to feed on. Stands locally were drought stressed and struggling to put on foliage. With that tender forage one of the few things to feed on for miles to the west, combined with a heavy moth flight, stands across the area saw multiple rounds of feeding – and no weather for recovery until winter dormancy set in. Continue reading “Fall Armyworm Scouting Results – 2023” →

Perennial Forage Season of Use

Posted on by David Hallauer

The success of cool season grasses in our Northeast Kansas forage systems has made it easy to be comfortable and satisfied with what we have and look no further. Why fix what isn’t broken? In some cases, however, the system might be broken, or at least in need of evaluation.

There are numerous reasons cool season grass stands may not be performing optimally. Weed increases and woody encroachment may have reduced usable acreage. A good soil fertility program takes time and money and correcting a deficient program can be a costly challenge. Some stands simply haven’t fared well after previous grazing/haying pressure, drought, armyworm damage, etc… It may make you consider other forage alternatives. Continue reading “Perennial Forage Season of Use” →