Forage Brassica Planting Date Trial

Forage brassica can provide a near-concentrate type diet late in the grazing season. This allows for an extra grazing opportunity after annual row crops are harvested, and establishes forage to fill a gap in feed quality and supply. These crops can provide a high-quality feed in a short period of time, fitting well into rotations of other crops, extending the grazing season, and reducing reliance on expensive commercial feed inputs. To graze forage brassica in the fall the crop must be planted in the late summer. Optimum planting dates have not been determined for the Northeast. In 2014, the University of Vermont’s Northwest Crops & Soils Program conducted a forage brassica planting date trial to evaluate yield and quality of this annual crop