A new growing season means another opportunity to do a better job in making hay, even when springs tend to be busy. The busy springtime often lowers the priority of hay fields due to the long list of tasks in row cropping and livestock operations. When everything else takes priority, the hay becomes moderate to lower quality with lower palatability and more waste, and potentially sets our forage stands back. Here are some practical considerations to improve hay quality that could reduce supplemental feed needs, maintain animal condition, and increase stand longevity.
Correct Maturity
The single most important factor affecting forage quality is maturity at cutting time. Springtime means rapid growth, especially in cool-season grasses when moisture and fertility are adequate. Harvesting high-quality hay starts with cutting at an earlier growth stage compared to letting it grow out for more biomass. Grass forages decrease in palatability and nutritional value as they mature, meaning more forage is not always better for the overall animal feeding program. The cutting stage goal for grasses would be boot stage (seeds apparent in the upper more leaf sheath) and late bud to early bloom in legumes (i.e., alfalfa, clovers, lespedeza). For mixed stands, cutting should be based on grass maturity, as grasses mature earlier than legumes.
Timing Cuts Appropriately
Appropriate harvest timing includes ideal forage maturity and optimal growth based on weather conditions.
First cutting (spring). Completing the first cutting in a timely manner allows adequate regrowth and a good second cutting before the onset of the hot summer months. A nitrogen application following the first harvest can help with this by stimulating forage regrowth. More on overall soil fertility management will be discussed in the next section.
Summer management. Be sure to allow cool-season hayfields to go into the summer with at least 5 to 6 inches of regrowth. This will shade the plant's crown, moderating its temperature and reducing soil moisture loss.
Fall cuttings. Fall hay cuttings should be timed to allow stands enough time to regrow and replenish their carbohydrate reserves prior to winter dormancy.
After a killing frost and late-season considerations. Cutting forages after a killing frost has different results depending on the forage type. Alfalfa should be cut, if there is too much forage to go into the winter, as quickly as possible to mitigate leaf losses that drive nutritive value. Other legumes, such as clover, can cause bloat after a freeze. On the other hand, tall fescue can keep higher nutritive values due to the waxy layer on the leaves. Because of this, tall fescue is often stockpiled for winter grazing.
Soil Fertility
A sound fertility program provides adequate nutrients for the growing plant. In a forage system, this involves more than simply adding nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; it should also include monitoring soil pH, soil compaction, nutrient removal rates, and overall nutrient status. High-yielding hay cuttings remove substantial amounts of nutrients from fields, making a balanced fertility program essential for optimizing hay production. Take the time to soil test and apply nutrients and lime, if needed, based on the soil test results. Avoid using “complete” fertilizers like 19-19-19, as this may not be the best mixture for the field or economically, given rising fertilizer prices. Adequate soil fertility is critical to achieving optimum forage production and quality.
Table 1: The amount of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) that is removed per ton of forage by type. These values are corrected for yields in the 12% range.
|
Species |
P as P2O5 |
K as K2O |
|
Alfalfa & Clover |
12 |
60 |
|
Bermudagrass |
12 |
40 |
|
Bromegrass |
12 |
40 |
|
Tall Fescue |
12 |
40 |
|
Native Grass |
5.4 |
30 |
How to Cut
Cut Early: The nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC, or sugar and starch) content of a plant is lowest in the early morning hours prior to sunrise due to plants using carbohydrates throughout the night for respiration in the absence of sugar fixation from photosynthesis. Plants resume photosynthetic processes at sunrise and increase NSC concentrations throughout the day, peaking in the late afternoon. Cutting hay late in the day limits dry down before nightfall and allows NSC concentrations to be the highest. In high precipitation environments (i.e., high humidity), maximizing cutting time should be the highest priority. This hay should be cut in mid-to-late morning, after the dew has dried. This timing allows for drying all day, maximizing sunlight and wind exposure to drop moisture.
Cut Wide: Setting the mower to as wide a swath as possible (i.e., 70% of the cutting area) shortens wilting time by exposing more forage to direct sunlight. This hastens drying time and preserves more digestible dry matter.
Cut High: Avoid cutting hayfields too low. If not properly adjusted, disc mowers can cut very close to the soil surface, causing significant damage to cool-season grass stands. This may be hard in fields that have a rolling topography, but it should not be ignored. Cutting too close to the ground can also introduce soil into the windrows, degrading the hay quality. In legumes, leaving 2 – 3 inches of stubble allows for a better bounce back, while grasses need more growth left due to crown sensitivity. Grasses should have 4 – 6 inches of growth remaining. Not only will this result in improved stand persistence and earlier regrowth, but the stubble will also help to elevate the swath and promote airflow and rapid drying.
Rake, Ted, and Bale at the Correct Moisture
Forage should be tedded or raked above 40% moisture due to pliability and limiting leaf losses that degrade forage quality. This is important to remember in legume and legume-mixed stands where moisture is below 40%, and tedding leads to rapid leaf losses. Adjust the rake to keep the tines from touching the ground and avoid soil contamination. Using rakes that handle the hay gently or slowing the speed of the rake are also ways to further minimize leaf loss and maintain forage quality.
Aim to bale the forage around 15 to 18% moisture as it inhibits mold growth and heating concerns. While hay that is excessively dry will have greater leaf loss due to leaf shatter, hay that is too wet (above 20% moisture) is prone to excessive heating. The worst-case scenario for high moisture hay is spontaneous combustion. Heated hay has higher concentrations of heat-damaged indigestible protein.
Store Hay Properly
Baled hay requires weather protection to limit losses in quality and quantity. To limit loss, store hay off the ground and undercover when possible. Round bales can shed precipitation, unless heavy rain occurs. However, damage can still occur when hay bales wick moisture up from the ground. Losses during hay storage can accumulate quickly. Hay covers can be in the form of pole barns, tarping, and bale wrap. Each comes at a different cost, experience level, and equipment requirements, but many may see the investment as worth it to minimize hay quality and quantity loss while maintaining palatability for livestock health.
Table 2. A summary of research into forage losses is shown. The data was collected by Iowa State University across 14 different trials.
|
Storage Type |
Cover Status |
Dry Matter Lost after 6 months |
|
On bare ground |
No cover |
27% |
|
On gravel or pallets |
No cover |
22% |
|
|
|
|
|
On gravel or pallets |
Covered |
8% |
|
On bare ground |
Covered (tarp) |
13% |
|
On bare ground |
Covered (wrapped) |
13% |
|
On bare ground |
Covered (roofed) |
5% |
|
Inside a building |
Covered (inside) |
5% |
Key Take‑Home Points
Tina Sullivan, Northeast Area Agronomist
tsullivan@ksu.edu
Logan Simon, Southwest Area Agronomist
lsimon@ksu.edu