The results of the 2021 Kansas Performance Tests with summer annual forage varieties are available online at https://www.agronomy.k-state.edu/services/crop-performance-tests/forages/2021-forage-performance-tests.html. The results are summarized by location (Garden City, Hays, and Scandia) and are split into hay and silage categories. The results can be viewed by clicking the “Data Tables” link at the website listed above and downloading the document. At this time, only the yield results are available. Forage quality results will be posted in the next few weeks.
Summer annual forage performance tests are conducted each year by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station (Figure 1). The objectives of the Kansas Summer Annual Forage Variety Trial are to evaluate the performance of released and experimental varieties, determine where these varieties are best adapted, and increase the visibility of summer annual forages in Kansas. Breeders, marketers, and producers use data collected from the trials to make informed variety selections. The Summer Annual Forage Trial is planted at locations across Kansas based on the interest of those entering varieties into the test.
This work was funded in part by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station and seed suppliers. Sincere appreciation is expressed to all participating researchers and seed suppliers who have a vested interest in expanding and promoting annual forage production in the U.S.
Figure 1. Harvesting a forage variety trial at the Southwest Research and Extension Center in Garden City, KS. Photo from John Holman, K-State Research and Extension.
John Holman, Cropping Systems Agronomist, Southwest Research-Extension Center
jholman@ksu.edu
Augustine Obour, Agricultural Research Center – Hays
aobour@ksu.edu
Scott Dooley, Agronomist-in-Charge, North Central Kansas Experiment Field
sjdooley@ksu.edu
Jane Lingenfelser, Assistant Agronomist, Crop Performance Testing
jling@ksu.edu