![[NDF]](/forage/image/sghslide1.gif)
When alfalfa is a significant portion of an alfalfa-grass mix, a harvest schedule for alfalfa should be followed. If a stand is predominantly grass, a different schedule is required. Although alfalfa has an ideal NDF content of 40 percent, grasses can be a very good dairy feed at 50 to 55 percent NDF. Perennial grasses mature earlier in the spring than alfalfa and reach 55 percent NDF or higher around the time they start heading out. By the time alfalfa is at 40 percent NDF (late May to early June), most perennial grasses are at or above 60 percent NDF. There is a range in maturities between and within grass species, however, with orchardgrass typically maturing earlier and timothy maturing later. At the same stage of maturity (e.g., heading), there is essentially no difference in quality between grass species.
If a dairy-quality feed is desired, grasses should be harvested in the spring before alfalfa harvest, not after. Subsequent harvests during the summer and fall will depend on climatic conditions. Additional harvests after the spring harvest can be taken every 30 to 40 days if sufficient regrowth has been produced to justify a harvest. High-quality regrowth (NDF = 55%) will require a relatively short cutting interval with three to five possible harvests per year if fertility recommendations are followed. Intensive cutting management may damage timothy and smooth bromegrass stands.