You will never be able to recover the quality if you get the timing wrong.
When baling a large area, it can be hard to always bale at the ideal moisture, therefore compromises need to be made.
But it’s better to make hay too dry than too wet.
Sometimes hay becomes too dry to bale, so wait for dew before baling; or consider using a steamer.
An experienced hay contractor can assist you further in this process.
It’s easy being green
The ideal colour for hay is a bright green colour.
This is affected by maturity and curing time.
The longer the hay is on the ground after it is cut the more chance that it will be weather damaged or bleached by the sun.
Always check the forecast when you are about to cut hay.
That feels about right
The ideal texture for hay is soft and not prickly.
This parameter can also be affected by maturity when cut and the curing time.
Thin stems are best
Aim to have thin stem diameters. Thicker stems will lead to an increase in fibre content which is not desirable.
Having smaller row spacings can help to keep your stems thinner.
Manage your moisture
Aim for all your hay bales to have a moisture range of between 10 and 16 per cent.
This will ensure that no fermentation will occur in the bale after baling and that your hay is not too dusty.
To make sure that the moisture is correct always use a moisture meter.
Also, consider the use of inoculants to safeguard against moisture spikes.
Keep it clean
Contamination of the bale can occur when you are storing the hay.
Ensure that the surface of the storage has a large amount of residual hay, is covered in a plastic lining or is compacted dirt.
This will help ensure that dirt and rocks do not contaminate the bottom bales of your stack.
Weed them out
If you know that a certain part of your paddock has weeds in the crop, then consider stacking these bales separately after baling.
Bale at the right time
- Lucerne hay: Ideally five to 10 per cent of the plants should be flowering. Pre-flowering produces better feed tests and higher yields over the season.
- Cereal hay: Ideally 80 to 100 per cent of the plants should be flowering.
- Vetch hay: Early flower, no pods.
- Canola hay: Full flower with little to no pods.
As a general rule, the younger a crop is cut, the higher the ME and CP values on the feed will be.
However, bulk yields peak around full flower/early milky dough seed, so a balance needs to be found.
Crops cut pre-head emergence are generally very hard to dry down/cure. It is best to wait. Heads that are still in the boot can cause issues for curing time.
It is important to take care when the crop contains plants at different stages of maturity.
This is likely to be the case for drought-stressed crops.
From Feed Central’s Tips for a Profitable Hay Season 2024/2025.
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