Which is the higher priority – concern with nitrates or forage quality?
The decision on when to cut a crop for forage after a frost should be based on forage quality first, and nitrate content second. Essentially, a severely frozen crop will have a damaged seed head and will not mature as it would under normal growing conditions. Further waiting may also result in the plant losing leaf matter to leaves drying up or rotting, potentially further reducing forage quality. Also, one cannot determine nitrate content of a forage immediately after a frost while it is still standing in the field. The producer should first cut the forage to capture forage quality, assuming that there is an opportunity for nitrates to be present, then plan to test the forages for nitrate content at a later date. The decision to wait on a crop to eliminate nitrates involves more guesswork than control, as there is no indication if nitrates are even present in the first place. Waiting may occur by default as haying conditions may not be present at the time one intends to cut. Producers
