Weather this year has been quite the roller coaster, resulting in many producers dealing with adverse conditions when harvesting and putting hay up. Do you know the impact these conditions will have on the final product?
For some producers, too much moisture has been causing issues. Wet meadows where harvest has been delayed are dealing with prairie hay that is past its prime. As plants mature, quality drops, so expect this hay to be at least a bit lower quality than normal.
In other parts of Nebraska, too little rain led to brome fields that weren’t even worth an early harvest. With some precipitation returning, these fields are coming back and may be recovered for a fall harvest.
However, ensuring that stands are fully recovered is critical before deciding to cut. Additionally, plants that were unable to fully mature earlier may try producing seed late, leading to lower quality than we normally see in fall brome growth.
All producers may have dealt with uncertain forecasts, making the decision to drop hay difficult, or cut fields experiencing rain. Remember the more hay is worked, especially for alfalfa, the more leaf shatter occurs and the lower quality we end up with. With low hay stores from last year, getting a bit more growth and delaying cutting may be the best option, especially if hay quality will end up being equally low if harvested earlier and raked several times to dry.
Especially wet hay that needs to be removed may be better off wrapped and used for baleage than to deal with the fire risk, mold growth and declining quality that occurs when hay is put up too wet. — Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension educator
