Page 11 - MWC 09-9-2021s

Know the Quality of Your Hay The Midwest Cattleman · September 9, 2021 · P11

By Dr. Gary Bates, Director and Professor, UT Beef & Forage Center
I have received several fiber, and other constituents.
phone calls and emails re- The more difficult part is
cently that have all had a knowing if it is worth it for
similar question. They had you to cut and bale. I usually
been forced to delay hay hate to see anyone waste for-
cutting for some reason and age, but if you consider what
were wondering if it was too diesel, time, and equipment
late to cut the hay. They wear and tear costs, there
wanted to know if the hay may be times it is better to
was worth cutting, or should buy hay than spend money
they just mow it down and producing the hay just to
let the plants regrow. In each have to turn around and sup-
case they had tall fescue that plement it because the quali-
was 6-8 weeks past normal ty is so poor.
hay cutting stage. Where that point is might
This is often a difficult continued on page 12
question to answer. Part of
the answer deals with what
the quality of the hay will be. WHY ARE WE STILL HERE AFTER MORE THAN 25 YEARS?
Research shows that once
these plants produce a seed
head, the protein and energy
levels slowly begin to drop.
After 6 weeks or so, the pro-
tein level will have dropped
from 12-15 percent down to
6-8 percent. It will be easy
to determine this by taking a
sample and having a forage
test run. This will measure
the forage quality, telling you
the level of protein, energy,

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