Northern New York – Research conducted on Northern New York farms by Cornell University researchers with funding from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) is helping farmers enhance their production of forage crops for their dairy cows.
Eight farms in Northern New York participated in on-farm double cropping trials from 2011 to 2013. The research specifically refines nitrogen fertilizer management guidelines for fields that will be used for double cropping – the practice of planting two different crops on the same field in which the second crop is planted after the first has been harvested.
By using the same land to plant two crops that can be fed to dairy cows, farmers can offset previous-year dairy cow forage inventory losses due to drought, excess water, or other causes.
Link to Winter Forage Small Grains to Boost Feed Supply: Not a Cover Crop Anymore research report
Link to profiles on growing 70 acres of triticale as a double crop with corn at Brandy View Farm in Madrid, NY, and a cereal rye trial at BCS Dairy in Peru, NY.