Fertilized Hay

[Stepper]

Am i looking at this with a wrong point of veiw ? I mean alot of people advertise and boast about good hay that has been fertilezed for sale.

Well it is all and good that the hay has been fertilized. But if it has not been sprayed to keep the unwanted grasses, weeds etc...., out of it. I really dont see the advantage it would have even though it was fertilized ?

To me good hay is hay that was cut off of a meadow that had a good ph balance to grow desirible grasses. And was keep weed free by spraying and keeping the ph level where it should be to grow these wanted grasses. And of course the hay being cut when it should have been and cured/baled right.

Grass hay that has been fertilized does not mean just a hole lot does it ? I mean if someone was to go out and fertilize a feild full of weeds does not make it good hay ? And would it not be possible to cut good hay off of a feild that had been taken care of as far as the ph & sprayed etc..., except for it being fertlized for a couple of years ? It having not of been fertlized in a couple of years would only mean that it would not produce as much tonage as it could have if it had of been fertilized.

Now i know that if the fertility gets to low that weeds and other unwanted grasses will start to grow.

 

[Jogeephus]

I don't think you are looking at it wrong but you got to be aware what is good to you may not be good to someone else and vice versa. EVERYBODY says they sell good hay but there is a lot more to raising hay than just fertilizing and baling. The important thing is what do you need the hay for? Is it going to be filler or feed. And then, is the nutrient content of the hay sufficient to meet your expectations.

 

[Stepper]

I myself dont have but just a few head of cattle. And i like to feed them the best quality hay that i can grow. I take soil samples every year and try to maintain a 5.8 to 6.0 ph level. I have mostly dallas grass & bemuda growing in my feilds. I try to keep my hay meadows as weed free as i can by spraying. I fertilize in the Spring and if we are getting alot moisture(rain) I try to put out nitrate out as soon as i move the hay off of the feild. I have never had any of my hay tested but i think i am going to this year.

And no more acreage than i have it is real exsepnsive to do this. Most of the cattlemen that i know arround here just put out the fertilizer. They dont worry about the ph of their hay meadows. I am sure the reason for it is because of the exspense. But they seem to turn out some good looking cattle.

I had a guy call today and offered to give me the hay off of a 120 acre hay meadow if i wanted it. He just aquired the lease on it and just wants the meadow cut so that he can take soil samples and do what ever is needed to get it growing the grass he wants it to. I have not looked at it yet and am not sure i want to mess with cutting it if it is not very good quality grass.

 

[Jogeephus]

I'm ticky about my hay as well and I am told I'm a tightwad. But sometimes people will spend a dollar to save a dime. If your pH is not right you are throwing away money cause the fertilizer will not work properly. I always strive for "feed quality hay" but sometimes have to make good hay and rarely is it filler. But right now, I'll take about anything I can get so if I were you and the meadow wasn't rough I'd be baling. JMO