Harvesting Oat Forage at Late Heading Increases Milk Production per Unit of Area

Core Ideas Oat forage harvested in late heading increases yield and milk production per hectare. Oat cultivar Laker reached boot and heading 3-4 days earlier than ForagePlus. Thermal units (GDD) should be used to report maturity time instead of calendar date. Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a widely used forage crop in the USA and globally, often integrated in dairy systems where it provides the benefits of diversifying crop rotations. As the forage...