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Take Advantage of Quality Hay Market With Your Late Cuttings
by Dwight Koops, Regional Vice President
Ulysses, Kan.
Many areas have been blessed with good rains this summer. This can be a double-edged sword if you are an alfalfa grower. A significant amount of alfalfa from the first three cuttings was rained on while it was in the windrow, and this lowers the feed value of the hay. That may mean there will be a demand for higher-quality dairy and horse hay for the later cuttings. It may be worth it to time your last cuttings for quality vs. quantity.
The optimal time to cut hay to achieve higher Relative Feed Values (RFV) is in the bud to early bloom stages. Later cuttings tend to be more leafy and finer stemmed. This also increases the RFV.
Check the weather forecast before cutting your alfalfa. If you have a period of dry, sunny weather coming up, you should take advantage of it. Minimize or avoid turning the hay prior to baling, as this will help the alfalfa retain the nutrient rich leaves. Don’t bale the hay too dry. Once again, this will cause the alfalfa to shed the leaves.
Higher-quality alfalfa has been known to bring a $20 to $40 per ton premium vs. average alfalfa, so in years like this when much of the hay is just average or below average, we have a window of opportunity to take advantage of this niche market.
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