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Harvesting Drought Damaged Soybeans for Forage
By
Laura Skillman
PRINCETON, Ky., (Sept. 5, 2007) – One of the top three driest
May through August periods on record has left the state’s
soybean crop suffering and farmers pondering whether to harvest
their soybeans for forage. Scientists with the University of
Kentucky College of Agriculture have been fielding farmers’
questions on this topic in recent days, and they say the answer
is not simple.
Crop conditions vary across the state and even within counties,
and farmers also have to determine what is best for their
particular operation based on their needs, crop insurance
coverage and other factors.
Before determining if there’s enough growth to provide adequate
yield for forage, farmers need to take the following steps.
First, discuss the option with their crop insurance company to
ensure they take the proper steps to meet their coverage
requirements. In Kentucky, many double-cropped soybean acres are
not covered by crop insurance, because they are planted after
insurable planting dates established by the U.S. Risk Management
Agency. These dates vary by county.
Farmers also need to document what they are doing with the Farm
Service Agency in case federal disaster programs are expanded to
include soybeans, said Bob Finch, chief of farm programs for the
Kentucky State FSA office. Without this documentation, farmers
would not be eligible for disaster relief if it becomes
available.
The third step is to review labels for all chemicals used on the
soybean crop for any restrictions for grazing or harvesting
soybeans as a forage and follow these label requirements.
The fourth step in the process would be to then determine if the
beans are worth harvesting as grain, forage or neither, said
Garry Lacefield, UK forage specialist. In some cases, yields may
be so low that the soybeans are not worth harvesting.
Ideally, soybeans should be harvested when green, plump seeds
fill the pods to maximize yield and quality. When harvesting
drought-stressed soybeans, seed size will be much smaller,
meaning that much of the feed value will come from the leaves.
As a result, ensiling or wrapping the baled soybeans in plastic
for balage will retain more leaves and may be a better option
than baling the soybeans as dry hay.
Soybeans harvested for silage should be about 35 percent dry
matter for trenches or upright silos, but 40 percent to 50
percent dry matter for balage. While crude protein could exceed
15 percent and total digestible nutrients could exceed 50
percent if seed fill is completed and most of the leaves are
retained, small soybeans harvested before seed fill may have
very different feed values. Approximate levels for soybean
stover are 5 percent protein and 40 percent total digestible
nutrients.
The decision whether to harvest soybeans as forage is an
individual one, Lacefield reiterated. If yields appear to be
adequate and a farmer can properly ensile the soybeans, then
harvesting them for forage could be the last, best option to
capture some value from the crop and help feed livestock this
winter. But, farmers need to take the proper steps to ensure
they don’t lose out on crop insurance or possible disaster
relief as they look to salvage something from the crop, he said.
Additional information can be found at the UK Cooperative
Service’s drought information Web site.
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Contact: Garry Lacefield, 270-365-7541, ext. 202
Chad Lee, 859-257-3203
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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Copyright © 2001-2006 University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service |
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