The real test of hay quality, however, is animal performance.
Tips for improved hay production include selecting the right forage species, maintaining adequate soil fertility, managing weeds and using proper harvesting techniques. Each of these tips is important for optimal hay quality and quantity.
Forage is harvested for quality at an earlier growth stage than when it is harvested for maximum quantity. So calculate which will provide the greatest economic return – quantity or quality.
Forage species selection
Forage species can be divided into the following six types: warm-season perennial grasses, warm-season annual grasses, cool-season perennial grasses, cool-season annual grasses, cool-season legumes and warm-season legumes.
“The forage species has a large impact on hay quality,” says Gary Bates, University of Tennessee Extension. “Legumes are generally higher-quality than grasses, and cool-season grasses such as tall fescue and orchardgrass are higher-quality than warm-season grasses like bermudagrass (Table 1)."
"Quality can also vary within the forage types depending upon the other hay quality factors. A mixture of a grass and legume usually produces high-quality hay when it is properly harvested. Perennials such as alfalfa, orchardgrass, timothy, fescue and bermudagrass are usually more economical as haycrops than annuals. Annuals such as sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, pearl millet, small grains and ryegrass can be used effectively, however.”
Performance of various forage species varies among geographical regions, so consult with local experts before making a selection. Forage specialists often conduct performance trials on various plant species, which provide an indication of production quality and quantity that can be expected.
“Forage species must be adapted for the soil type, rainfall and other environmental conditions of the location where you intend to produce hay,” says Vanessa Corriher Olson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
“You want a species with multiple-year yields, high nutritive value, winter hardiness, persistence and disease resistance. When choosing a forage species for hay, you should also consider nutrient requirements of the animals to be fed as well as the cost for establishment, maintenance and continued production. Annual forage species has to be established each year, which can increase hay production cost. Perennial forage does not need to be re-established each year, which spreads its cost over multiple years.”
Soil fertility maintenance
“Soil fertility is critical to forage production and nutritive value,” says Larry Redmon, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. “A sound fertility program provides adequate nutrients for the growing plant. In a forage system, this involves more than adding nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It also includes monitoring soil compaction, soil pH, nutrient removal rates and, in some cases, subsoil nutrient status. Soil sampling and testing are the most important tools in forage production.”
“High yields of hay remove large amounts of nutrients,” Bates says. “Since properly inoculated legume plants are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, mixtures containing more than 30 percent legumes usually do not give economic responses to nitrogen fertilization. In pure grass stands, nitrogen must be added for high levels of production.”
Weed control
“Weeds need to be controlled because they reduce the yield of desirable forage, lower forage quality and compete with desirable forages for moisture, nutrients, sunlight and space,” says Donald Pogue, of Mississippi State University.
“Some weeds are toxic to livestock, while others are simply unpalatable or cause physical injury. In a grazing system, there are many weeds that cattle will avoid while grazing as long as there is ample desirable forage. When weeds are baled in hay, cattle consume the plants because they cannot easily eat around them. Thus, weed control in hay meadows is even more critical than in a grazing system.
“Weeds growing in association with a forage crop can aggressively compete with desirable plants for soil nutrients. Many types of weeds initiate growth earlier in the spring than do common pasture grasses. Woody-type weeds can grow taller and shade out desirable grasses if they are not controlled. It takes as much soil nutrients to grow a pound of weeds as a similar amount of desirable forage."
"A nutrient analysis of pigweed showed it will contain twice the amount of nitrogen as does the companion grass, with similar amounts of phosphorous and potash. Smartweed contains 1.6 times more phosphorous and ragweed 3.5 times more potash than the typical companion forages. Weed control is particularly critical in situations where soil fertility is below optimum levels.”
Available options for controlling weeds include cultural, chemical, prescribed fire and mechanical means. Use of cultural methods can result in weed prevention and involve proper forage selection and seeding rates combined with good fertility.
These practices result in forage stands that are better able to compete with weed species. Cultural weed control is usually more cost-effective than applying herbicide. Even with the best planting and soil management, however, most hay operations will require some form of weed control.
“When used properly, chemical weed management is safe and cost-effective,” Olson says. “The first step is to correctly identify the weed species, then select the most effective herbicide.
“Prescribed fire, a cultural method, is generally used to suppress woody species and is often used after herbicide treatments. It can extend the life of the herbicide application and repeated fires, especially warm-season fires, can convert wooded areas into savannas that provide better livestock grazing and/or wildlife habitat. Although prescribed fire is not common in all areas, its value as a management tool should not be overlooked.”
“Weed management through mechanical methods can be effective in regions that have problems with woody plants,” says Redmon. “These methods are generally less effective and more costly than chemical controls. Mechanical treatments, primarily mowing or shredding, can actually make management of sprouting species more difficult.”
Proper harvesting techniques
“The first task in harvesting quality hay is to choose when to start mowing,” says Ed Rayburn, West Virginia University Extension Service. “When high-quality hay is needed, the harvest must start at an early growth stage, such as late boot to very early head in grasses and late bud to early bloom in legumes."
"In mixed grass-legume stands, the decision for the first cut should be based on the grass, since grasses usually mature earlier than the legume. The next harvests should then be based on the legume growth stage. Where only moderate quality is needed and yield is the primary goal, take the first cut when the grass is at early head to early bloom stage."
“Secondly,” Rayburn says, “should hay be cut early or late in the day? Sugar and starch or total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) content of a plant is at its lowest at sunrise since the plant used carbohydrates for respiration during the night and could not fix sugar through photosynthesis. At sunrise, the plant can start photosynthesis to fix sugar, allowing TNC concentration to increase through the day and reach a peak in late afternoon around 6 p.m."
"It has been shown that hay harvested when TNC is at the high point results in higher animal forage intake and performance; however, cutting hay late in the day results in failure of the forage to dry before nightfall. With cool nights, a net gain in TNC is usually obtained, and on warm nights, a net loss can occur. Much greater gains in forage TNC content are achieved by harvesting hay at an earlier date or by increasing legume content in the stand.”
When mowing to make dry hay, set the mower to make as wide a swath as possible. This exposes more of the forage to drying effects of the sun and wind.
“The value of tedding hay is that it turns over the swath, resulting in more uniform drying and reduction of wet spots,” Rayburn says. “Tedding should usually be done the morning after hay is mown and after the dew has dried. If hay is tedded when it is too dry, or if it is tedded too often, leaves will be broken off, causing a loss in forage quality and yield."
"In most cases, hay should be tedded only once. If the mower cannot be set to get an open swath, tedding the day of mowing as well as the day after may be warranted."
“The same principles that apply to tedding apply to raking,” Rayburn says. “Hay should be raked when it is tough but not wet with dew to reduce leaf loss. Using rakes that handle hay gently or slowing the speed of the rake, if it is working the forage too hard, are also ways to reduce leaf loss.”
Good-quality hay is obtained by properly managing each production step from forage species selection to harvest. 
Robert Fears is a freelance writer based in Georgetown, Texas.
PHOTO 1: Forage should be harvested for hay before stems become coarse and contain a high fiber content.
PHOTO 2: The ultimate test of hay quality is animal performance.
PHOTO 3: Some weeds in hay, such as grassbur, can cause injury to the mouth and digestive tracts of animals.
PHOTO 4: Hay should not be raked when it is wet with dew or rain. Photos by Robert Fears.
