Today at the West Texas Fair, I was talking with Texas A & M Professor. I asked him the hottest topic right now in the Texas beef industry. He told me it was was what to do with all the hay baled that has absolutely no nutritional value....most of the hay in Texas. What are yalls thoughts on this issue?
Hay Quality
- Thread starter ffamom
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Jogeephus
Well-known member
Put it in a Jaylor mixer grinder and mix other things with it. But I'm sure there are a lot of folks selling it as "good hay".
ga. prime
Well-known member
When grazing runs out, feed the hay and don't let the Pro-Lix tanks run dry.
HAY MAKER
Well-known member
msscamp":bfg2ilws said:
Well said msscamp,test your hay,then supplement as needed,I still have not figured out how to winter a cow without knowing the value of your feed,and we have mild winters.........good luck http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/
BC
Well-known member
I know my hay is pretty sorry this year. I fertilized according to soil test (400 lbs/acre of 19-4-19) around the first of May.
Should have been cut first of June. It set in to raining. We got a break about the 3rd week in June. Custom baler started and his mower broke after about 7 rounds. He got killed latter that night in a car wreck. It set in to raining again for nearly a month. I had to find a new custom operator. Hay was finlly cut on August 8. I now have a two year supply of low quality hay.
It could be worse, at least I have something to keep the ribs apart. Our county has a hay testing campaign through the Extension office to help determine feed quality and how to supplement.
Should have been cut first of June. It set in to raining. We got a break about the 3rd week in June. Custom baler started and his mower broke after about 7 rounds. He got killed latter that night in a car wreck. It set in to raining again for nearly a month. I had to find a new custom operator. Hay was finlly cut on August 8. I now have a two year supply of low quality hay.
It could be worse, at least I have something to keep the ribs apart. Our county has a hay testing campaign through the Extension office to help determine feed quality and how to supplement.
Jim62
Well-known member
I feed my cows that low quality hay just so they don't forget how to eat during the winter. Mine is well-fertilized coastal. Only problem is being a little over mature. I always supplement protein when feeding hay.
They actually like it pretty darn well when they're hungry.
They actually like it pretty darn well when they're hungry.
flaboy?
Well-known member
ga. prime":3hodtanp said:
Yeah, what he said.
hillrancher
Well-known member
Be happy to have the hay. Beats a snow bank. That is where liquid. barrels, cake and what ever comes into good use.
We have plenty of hay this years but we have gotten several bails wet before bailing also. Intend to keep out protein barrels and salt mix.
We have plenty of hay this years but we have gotten several bails wet before bailing also. Intend to keep out protein barrels and salt mix.
VZCR
Well-known member
ffamom":e7uwj6gc said:
I have to chime in on this as a hay producer. We put fertilizer out in small doses, instead of hitting it with 400-500 lbs. per acre and then the rain washing it all away. The smaller doses at 2 week intervals keeps the hay fertilized and eliviates the "drenching rains washing all the nutrients away" like so many are harping about Texas Hay. I know a lot of hay farmers who are getting away from the once per crop fertilizer application plan. Me for sure. We work hard to put a quality product on the market, and if we put trash out there, we wont be around very long. My advice is to know where the hay comes from and get it tested if it is touted to be high quality. No suprises. :shock:
cowtrek
Well-known member
VZCR":2tand1yr said:
I have to chime in on this as a hay producer. We put fertilizer out in small doses, instead of hitting it with 400-500 lbs. per acre and then the rain washing it all away. The smaller doses at 2 week intervals keeps the hay fertilized and eliviates the "drenching rains washing all the nutrients away" like so many are harping about Texas Hay. I know a lot of hay farmers who are getting away from the once per crop fertilizer application plan. Me for sure. We work hard to put a quality product on the market, and if we put trash out there, we wont be around very long. My advice is to know where the hay comes from and get it tested if it is touted to be high quality. No suprises. :shock:[/quot
I don't think they're talking so much about having lost their fertilizer to runoff as to having so much rain that they couldn't bale the stuff for a month or more after it was ready to cut. I know that's the boat I'm in. I had hay ready to bale in late June/early July and just got it cut and baled about a week ago. When you've got Dallisgrass that has gone to seed and dried down standing in it with bahia and native grass on mixed pasture you know it's WAYYY past it's prime.... but what can you do?? I think a lot of guys are in that boat where they're just now being able to harvest stuff that is so OLD that it's turned to cardboard.... and may have been rained on after it was cut to boot, just like I had 15 rolls rained on 2 inches and 4-5 days later another inch, and just got it rolled a few days ago... But, again, what can you do??
I agree with you on spoonfeeding fertilizer though... more bang for the buck, and you can spread your risk by fertilizing according to the weather conditions and what IT is allowing (or not allowing) you to do... We used to put out half our fertilizer on the cotton just before planting and the other half sidedressed... we'd usually just one-shot it right before planting on sorghum and corn though, because if we got rained out for a couple or three weeks after planting it could potentially be too big to get back in there for the second dose... besides the fertilizer use curves are completely different for grass type grain crops than broadleaf crops like cotton; it doesn't really start using fertilizer heavily until about 30 days after planting anyway....
Good luck! OL JR ArrowHBrand
Well-known member
Up here in Iowa we've had sufficient rain to grow some good hay, but come January hay will double in price. Our hay was fertilized very well this spring and is some great stuff. We've also baled some of the neighbors and his uncles hay and that is also very good. We began receiving delivery on large round bales we bought for $120/ton first cutting not rained on right out of the field and it smells so sweet that every time I pass it I can't help but grab out a stem and shove it in the corner of my mouth. I ran into a fella we bought some small squares from earlier this summer and he was going to have 7 racks of small alfalfa squares baled up by the end of this weekend and wanted to know if I'd buy them for $3/bale. I declined because after we bale ours once again we'll have enough for the horses for winter, but I did tell him I knew someone who would be interested. He said if he couldn't sell it by the time it snows that he was going to keep it until January of February and take it to the sale barn where it will go for $6-8/bale. Long story short, buy as much hay now as you can afford, it's better to be long than short on hay come March.
VZCR
Well-known member
ArrowHBrand":3knqy53w said:
What kind of hay is that for $120.00 per ton? There are some good buys out there. Somebody could clean up this winter with a deal like this:
http://www.bid4hay.com/aff.php?aff=776
The small square bales would bring almost enough to pay for the whole lot..... :shock: $55.00 per ton........ :shock:
novatech
Well-known member
I have never had my hay tested. I watch the condition of my cattle. For a more immediate indicator I look at the condition of the poop. If it hits the ground an makes a pile it is lacking protein. If it hits the ground and flatens it is pretty good. At one time I found some picks of this on the web but I cannot locate them.
novatech":3fafkqq5 said:
That's the method I use also. But it has to be pretty bad before we supplement. Last year feeding 3 year old outside stored fescue we did use Mix30, cows did well on the combination.
Farmgirl
Well-known member
Novatech,
Is this what you are looking for?
http://rangeweb.tamu.edu/extension/rang ... photog.pdf
Farmgirl
grannysoo
Well-known member
I've been baling hay for a few years and can tell you that you can't judge it by looking at it. The ONLY way to tell what you get is to have it checked.
Seen some great looking hay with little protein and some pretty sorry looking one that was high in protein.
Looking at the "poop" is a pretty good judge of what the condition of the food is. Just make sure there is plenty of protein in the diet or your cows and calves are going to suffer.
Seen some great looking hay with little protein and some pretty sorry looking one that was high in protein.
Looking at the "poop" is a pretty good judge of what the condition of the food is. Just make sure there is plenty of protein in the diet or your cows and calves are going to suffer.
novatech
Well-known member
Thats it. ThanksFarmgirl":2smw7rx8 said:
Every beginner should have a look at this.
CUZ
Well-known member
Farmgirl - Thanks for the link.
cowtrek
Well-known member
novatech":3rte9srg said:
And what does it mean when it hits the ground and runs everywhere??? I know that NO poop means you're not feeding enough... LOL
HEheheheheheh... OL JR
