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Forage Management Guides
Self-Study Guide Guide 7: Hay Production

When pasture growth is scarce, it is necessary to provide some type of stored feed for grazing animals. Hay offers a number of advantages: it can largely be mechanized; it stores well when adequately protected; and it can meet the nutritional requirements of most classes of livestock.

Hay also fits well with a grazing program because accumulated forage can be cut for hay during periods of excess growth, thus minimizing waste. Harvesting excess growth as hay also results in the subsequent production of young, tender forage regrowth for later grazing.

Hay Crop Selection

The first step in hay production is deciding what forage species to plant. This decision is obviously limited to the forage species adapted to the location. Other considerations include nutritional needs of the animals, the relative quality of hay that can be produced from various adapted species, probable hay yield, and cost of establishment and maintenance. The information presented in Table 1 provides a basis for comparison of some species that can be grown for hay.

Table 1. Approximate hay yield, crude protein, and total digestible nutrient (TDN) content of various hay crops¹

It is generally more economical to produce hay from perennials than from annuals due to avoidance of annual establishment costs. This is especially true when producing hay for animals which have relatively low nutritional requirements. Growing a legume/grass mixture (fescue-clover) for hay production will generally improve hay quality as compared to using grass alone.

When considering the economics of hay production, it’s important to realize that a large proportion (usually 30 to 40 percent) of the expenses per acre involved in hay production is fixed costs. This provides incentive for striving for high yield and high quality. If a livestock producer is going to expend time, energy, and money in producing hay, it is worthwhile to make it an efficient operation in which high production and excellent quality hay are obtained.

Producing the Forage

Perennial hayfields are normally productive for many years, but a poor start may have a negative impact for years to come. The goal should be a thick, vigorous stand of an adapted, productive forage variety. To achieve this, plant an adequate quantity of high quality, weed-free seed or vegetative material of a recommended variety.

Since yield is important in obtaining economical hay production, it is essential to lime and fertilize hayfields according to soil test recommendations. Weeds and insects should be controlled with pesticides as appropriate.

Many times hay production success is defined by the quantity of hay produced per acre. The most important consideration, however, is not the quantity of hay produced, but rather the quantity of available and digestible nutrients stored and the level of animal performance that will result from feeding those nutrients.

Hay quality is a measure of two important factors, intake and digestibility. Since intake measures cannot be obtained with forage analysis, two other criteria are used in evaluating hay quality – crude protein and energy value. Although both are important factors, low digestible energy is usually the main limiting factor in Southern hays. Therefore, the emphasis with regard to forage quality of hay should generally be on improving the digestible or available energy value and not crude protein.

Much of the hay sold in the United States is sold by the bale, based on color or forage type, with little concern over quality. Good-quality hay is often sold too cheap, and poor quality hay is often sold for more than it is worth. Poor-quality hay is generally low in both protein and energy and is usually high in fiber. Because poor-quality hay is high in fiber, cattle tend to eat less. The high fiber forage causes a slow rate of digestion in the rumen and, therefore, the cattle do not and cannot eat enough to make efficient gains. Contrast this to a good-quality hay that cows readily consume and quickly digest, resulting in more efficient production of meat and milk. Knowing hay quality is a critical factor in formulating economical supplementation programs, if necessary.

Factors that can influence hay quality include: plant species, plant variety, weeds, insect damage, diseases, weather at harvest, and harvesting techniques. However, hay quality is most likely to be affected by two other factors, both of which are under the control of the producer: (1) fertilization; and (2) stage of maturity at harvest.

Nitrogen (N) fertilization will increase, up to a point, the protein content of grass hay. Fertilization with other nutrients such as potassium (K), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S), may also influence the amounts of these elements, which are present in forage.

Periodic soil testing (once every 2-3 years) followed by applying the recommended nutrients will allow the levels of specific nutrients in forage to be adequate for animals. Fertilization may also improve hay palatability to animals and thus influence animal performance by increasing intake. Although important in obtaining good hay yields, fertilization normally has little influence on the energy level of hay except by encouraging the domination of desirable forage species.

The single most important producer-controlled factor influencing hay quality is stage of maturity at harvest. This is where many Southern livestock producers can improve hay quality most easily and dramatically.

The stage of maturity at harvest influences the palatability, crude protein content, and the digestible energy level. In general, the best time to harvest for a good yield as well as high energy and crude protein levels is in the early bloom stage for legumes and in the boot stage (just before seedhead emergence) in grasses. Exceptions to this rule are: sericea lespedeza – 15 to 18 inches; summer annual grasses – 30 to 40 inches; and hybrid bermudagrass – 4 to 5 week intervals or 15 to 18 inches. Forage quality deteriorates rapidly with advancing maturity even though yield will continue to increase. Advice regarding specific times to cut various forages is provided in Table 2.

Cutting hay past the recommended stage results in increased fiber content and a decrease in palatability and digestibility. Waiting until later will generally increase the number of bales or tons of hay produced, but nutritive value decreases. In addition to requiring more fuel, time, and labor to store the high fiber hay, animal performance will be depressed. Poor quality hay passes more slowly through the animal digestive system, causing lower intake of low quality hay, which further reduces animal performance.

Thousands of tons of hay have been rain damaged or harvested too late because of equipment problems. Before beginning the harvesting process, all hay equipment should be checked and serviced. This should include sharpening knives, checking belts, and lubrication.

Hay should normally be cut in late morning, afternoon or early evening when the dew has dried off the forage. It is important that the mower be set to cut forage at the proper height. The travel speed of the tractor should be slow enough so that all the forage is cut cleanly and evenly. Periodic adjustments in speed may be necessary due to variability in stand thickness.

Many producers use mower/conditioners or have hay conditioners, which are used separately from mowers. Conditioners (or crimpers) can reduce drying time by as much as 50 percent. They are essential for thick-stemmed forages such as pearl millet and sorghum-sudan hybrids.

"Respiration" refers to the breakdown of food materials within plants. This process, which occurs in all living plants, continues after forage plants are cut and until the moisture content drops to below about 40 percent. Respiration can result in dry matter losses of 2 to 16 percent, depending on the situation. When drying conditions are good, respiration losses are minimized; when drying conditions are poor, respiration losses may be high. By crushing plant stems, a conditioner causes moisture levels to drop much more quickly to the 40 percent level at which respiration losses cease. An additional benefit is that when hay dries more quickly, the likelihood of rain damage is reduced. Rain can damage hay in several ways. It leaches soluble nutrients, keeps the moisture level high, prolongs the period of respiration loss, and increases the likelihood of mold.

Table 2. Recommended stages to harvest various hay crops1

Leaf losses are common with legumes such as alfalfa, lespedeza, and red clover. When legume hays are raked or tedded at low moisture levels, leaf losses can be high. Leaf losses of 5, 10, and 20 percent may occur at moisture levels of 50, 35, and 20 percent, respectively. Therefore, it is advisable to complete raking before legume hays fall below 40 percent moisture.

The usual moisture range for raking should be around 45 to 55 percent. To reduce leaf loss, hay should be raked in the same direction as it was mowed. It may be desirable to rake legume hay early in the morning before the dew has dried in order to minimize leaf shatter.

Raking should be done with great care because this is the greatest source of leaf loss during harvest. Windrows should not be too thick. Thick windrows reduce the amount of hay exposed to the air causing wet spots. Narrow, thick windrows will not dry as rapidly as wide, thin ones. Also, hay dries more quickly in a swath than in a windrow.

Hay drying may also be speeded with commercial hay drying agents (dessicants), the active ingredient of which is usually potassium carbonate. Such products are normally applied with a spray boom mounted just ahead of the mower with a deflection bar in front of the boom. The bar bends the plants over and allows good spray coverage. Dessicants break down the waxy coating on the stems of certain legume hay crops, principally alfalfa, and can be of benefit on some farms.

Baling Hay

Baling should also be done in the same direction as mowing and raking. Baling should progress at a slow enough speed that the hay will be cleanly and evenly fed into the baler. It is important to keep the density, size and shape of bales relatively constant as this aids in storage and handling.

Leaf losses can also be high during baling operations, ranging from 1 to 15 percent. One way to reduce leaf loss at baling is to spray an organic acid (propionic acid is most commonly used) on the hay which then allows baling at moisture levels up to 30 percent rather than the 15 to 20 percent range normally required for safe storage without mold damage.

Baling losses with conventional balers (producing small rectangular bales) are typically 3 to 8 percent, while baling losses with large round balers can vary from 5 to 15 percent. Thus, the potential baling loss is greater with large round balers, but a skillful operator may keep such losses as low or lower than would be obtained with a conventional baler.

It should be emphasized that these figures do not account for storage or feeding losses. Round bales stored outside may have a high spoilage loss, while hay stored inside should have virtually no storage loss. Feeding losses also tend to be much higher with round bales than with conventional bales.

Forage Testing

The only way to determine the nutrient content and value of hay is to have a sample analyzed at a testing facility. To obtain accurate results from such tests, a good representative sample must be collected. The best means of getting a good sample for testing is with a core sampler. Once the results of a test are obtained and the quality of a lot of hay is known, that information can be used in effectively formulating diets for livestock.

Information for this guide was taken from the book Southern Forages by D. M. Bell, C. S. Hoveland and G. D. Lacefield and from Information Bulletin 311, Dollars and Sense Hay Production by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

For more information about forage management, contact your county Extension office or refer to one of our publications.

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University of Arkansas
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Last Date Modified 07/15/2008
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