Tina Sullivan

Figure 1. Example of a short stand of smooth brome in Jackson County, Kansas. (Photo credit David Hallauer, K-State Meadowlark Extension District.) Many farmers have noticed cool-season crops of wheat, triticale, oats, and barley rushed through growth stages following a warm fall, winter, and spring with limited height and seemingly early heading and maturing (Figure 1). Cool-season perennial forages, such as smooth brome and tall fescue, have not been excluded from this rapid maturing.

This past year (2025) was hard on forage producers once again, with fall armyworms arriving in late July and overstaying their welcome through the long, warm fall. Many across eastern Kansas reported a complete or partial loss of their brome stands (Figure 1). Brome field damage varied greatly, with some fields that appear dead, while others have no damage at all. The majority of the damaged areas were the late-harvested fields cut in mid-to-late July and after.