Hay is an important agricultural commodity here in the United States, but especially in a cattle state like Texas. Here in Texas a lot of people raise cattle which have a rather resourceful trick – turning forages and roughages into beef. Beef is one of the three main meat types in the United States, the other two being pork and poultry. But something that many may not necessarily know is that not all hay is equal and so that needs to be explained so that farmers can make better selections when choosing which forages to plant for hay production or which hay’s they want to purchase if they have to.
East Texas has three common forage sources – ryegrass, coastal bermudagrass, and bahia grass and there are some other additives that are often grown and included in the hay such as red crimson clover which is highly nutritious for cattle.
Meeting nutrition requirements of cattle is the goal that everyone should have but it is worth noting that some hay is better than no hay at all. In the winter when it is cold, forage provides both a food source and also means to generate heat to stay warm even if it isn’t quite right on the percentages of crude protein, TDN, etc.
Before doing anything or making any decisions it is strongly encouraged that the soil quality is tested and here in East Texas that is done at Stephen F. Austin State University in the department of agriculture soils lab. But beware and get your samples in fast because the soils lab is always backed up and it could take weeks to months to get your results back and by that point it might be too late and that’s never good. The soils lab can help one to get an idea of what their soil is composed of, the type of soil it is, and what it could be lacking such as lime. Without healthy soil it is going to be impossible to produce forage for hay production.
After changes and adjustments have been made to improve soil quality one should start to consider weed management, there are a number of ways to deal with weeds and one of the most direct methods is to plow up the field that will be used for hay production.
Burning is an effective way to add nutrients back into the soil and stimulate new growth which is needed for a forage plot to be successful. But before the burning starts first make sure it is a necessary time to burn and that it will not lead to a raging inferno beyond your property boundaries, this can be found online. Time and planning is crucial for planting, watering, and fertilizing to ensure that a field is at its most ready for hay production. Also cutting has been researched mainly focusing on how soon the nutritional value of hay will be lost and actually it has been found that hay rapidly loses nutritional value pretty much from the second the forage hits maturity so it is important not to delay at all possible to cut and get it bailed up, either round bails or square but getting it bailed and stored the soonest is going to maintain the optimal nutritional quality and value the most so if you’re someone having to purchase hay this is important for you to get the most out of the product you’re purchasing.
To sum up this article, remember that any hay is better than no hay at all in the winter. The importance of time management and planning cannot be overstated, one must consider what options they have, what forage they are going to plant, weed management, burning, soil testing, and so much more. It is important for farmers to understand what they can do and ways they can improve their success within their operations to continue on year after year.
