Effect of Time of Cutting on Yield and Botanical Composition of Prairie Hay in Southeastern Nebraska

Authors

Elverne C. Conard
Vincent H. Arthaud

Date of this Version

11-1957

Document Type

Article

Citation

Conard, Elverne C. and Arthaud, Vincent H. (1957) Effect of time of cutting on yield and botanical composition of prairie hay in southeastern Nebraska (Research Bulletin: Bulletin of the Agricultural Experiment Station of Nebraska No. 184)

Comments

ISSN 0097-1514

Abstract

Approximately three and one-third million acres of native prairie are harvested annually in Nebraska for hay. In the four-year period 1948-1951, the State ranked first in wild hay production with an average yield of more than two and one-quarter million tons per year. This crop is an important natural resource in Nebraska's livestock industry. Studies were initiated in 1945 to determine the effects of time of cutting on the yield and feeding value of prairie hay in southeastern Nebraska. The studies were continued through the summer of 1952 to determine the effects of different cutting treatments on the vigor and botanical composition of the vegetation. A separate study was initiated in 1948 and continued through 1952 to determine the effect of time of harvesting the aftermath crop in the fall on the yield of hay the following summer.