Some Hay Considerations

Transcription

1 Some Hay Considerations Larry A. Redmon Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

2 Four Aspects to Consider 1. Forage Species 2. Bale Size 3. Physical Characteristics 4. Chemical Characteristics (Nutritive Value)

3 Four Aspects to Consider 1. Forage Species

4 Species Annual vs. perennial Cool-season vs. warm-season Legume vs. grass

5 Forage Nutritive Value Hierarchy (Typical) CS annual Best Legume CS perennial WS annual WS perennial Worst Grass

6 Four Aspects to Consider 1. Forage Species 2. Bale Size

7 Hay Cost/Ton by Bale Size Weight of Bale (lbs) Price per Bale (Round Bales) $50 $60 $70 $80 Cost /Ton Hay ($)

8 Hay Cost/Ton by Bale Size Weight of Bale (lbs) Price per Bale (Small Bales) $3 $4 $5 $6 Cost /Ton Hay ($)

9 Four Aspects to Consider 1. Forage Species 2. Bale Size 3. Physical Characteristics

10 Hay Show Rules Texture Would you want to lay your head on it? Presence of seedheads Indicates advance maturity Smell Presence of weeds Dust or mold

11 Purchased Hay Crude Protein Crude Protein (% DM) % Medium green, heavily fertilized, no seed heads 12.8% Low High Mean Light green, no seed heads 6.9%

12 What about purchasing sight-unseen? Out-of-state purchases Unknown size Unknown nutritive value Noxious weed introduction In-state, but from strangers Same issues as above

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15 Four Aspects to Consider 1. Forage Species 2. Bale Size 3. Physical Characteristics 4. Chemical Characteristics (Nutritive Value)

16 Analyze Your Hay for Nutritive Value You cannot determine nutritive value by looking or feeling or smelling the hay. Over-estimating your hay s nutritive value can severely affect animal performance. I.e., low body condition score at calving. Under-estimating your hay s nutritive value can lead to excess supplementation cost. You fed when you didn t need to Check for toxic levels of nitrates.

17 Laboratory Analyses

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19 Maturity is the eternal enemy of forage nutritive value.

20 Effect of maturity on forage yield and nutritive value High Forage Yield Nutritive Value Low Stage of Maturity (Time)

21 Immature plant cell Primary cell wall Cell contents Soluble carbohydrates Starch Organic acids Protein Pectin Cellulose Hemicellulose Lignin Cutin Silica Tannins

22 Mature plant cell Primary cell wall Cellulose Hemi Cell contents (sugars, protein) L P Secondary cell wall

23 So, why do we care about CP and energy???

24 Table 1. Crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) levels required in diets of different kinds and classes of grazing livestock. 1 Animal kind/class CP (%) TDN (%) NEm (Mcal/day) NEg (Mcal/day) NEl (Mcal/day) Growing beef steer 450 lbs (1.7 lb/day gain) 650 lbs (1.7 lb/day gain) Beef cow Lactating n/a 4.2 Dry, pregnant n/a Sheep Lamb (finishing) Ewe (lactating) Ewe 9 55 (maintenance) Fallow deer Doe (lactating) Growing buck Meat-type goat Doe (lactating) Growing buck Horse (maintenance) Adapted from Southern Forages, 2nd ed., 1998.

25 Plant Species & Nitrates Warm-season annual grasses Forage sorghums Sorghum-sudan hybrids (haygrazer) Sudangrass Millets Corn Warm-season annual broadleaves Pigweed, kochia, sunflowers, lambsquarters Perennials, others Johnsongrass, bermudagrass, small grains

26 Minerals Additional charge for mineral analyses Typically addressed via mineral supplementation in the pasture.

27 Forage Report

28 Forage Report

29 Pay attention to storage conditions...

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31 1955 Allis Chalmers ad

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33 Effect of storage system on dry matter loss of ryegrass hay stored for 7 months 1 Storage System Dry Matter (%) Animal Refusal (%) TOTAL (%) Ground Gravel Tires Rack Rack with cover Barn Nelson et al., 1983

34 How long will Indefinitely hay last the barn?

35 Hay tarps also work well

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37 Hay Losses During Storage Six Foot Diameter Round Bale Outer 4 = 21% of the bale Outer 12 = 56% of the bale Outer 3 = 25% of the bale Outer 6 = 31% of the bale Outer 18 = 75% of the bale

38 Net Wrap Versus Twine Hay wrapped with net wrap loses less DM than hay wrapped with twine (10%?). Net wrap is generally used to reduce wear and tear on the baler and to speed up the baling process. Less revolutions in the bale chamber

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40 John Deere B-Wrap

41 John Deere B-Wrap Developed by JD and Tama, an Israeli company that manufactures net wrap for JD and others worldwide. Replaces netwrap in most JD balers with retro kit; newer balers B-Wrap ready. Protects better than netwrap from rain, snow, ground moisture. Adds ~$7/bale to overall per/bale cost plus other issues

42 If possible, buy and sell based on nutritive value

43 Hay Marketing Purchasing Most producers should purchase hay. Purchase based on crude protein (CP) content and dry matter (DM) weight. If seller can t or won t furnish the info, consider other sources. Selling Sell based on crude protein (CP) content and dry matter (DM) weight. Randomly sample each lot of hay Crude protein analysis as minimum Have the ability to weigh hay bales

44 Summary Understand the nutrient requirements of your animals. Always obtain a forage analysis for CP & for Nitrates. (2 different tests) Purchase hay from a reputable producer that meets the nutrient requirement of your animals. Store hay appropriately to reduce DM and nutritive value losses.

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46 Think forage Questions?

47 Figure 1. Relative effects of changing the factors affecting drying rate by 20 percent each 1 Standard +20% Temp +20% Wind +20% Sun -20% Humidity Standard is 77 F; wind 2.5 mph; 40% sunshine; 40% RH 1 Adapted from Undersander