Meeting Hay Challenges

Have your hay, and eat it, too.

by Emily Beal, Ohio State University Extension

Cattlemen are feeling the brunt of last spring’s unprecedented rainfall. Finding hay that is both affordable and sufficiently nutritious has been one roadblock this year for farmers.

Something even more alarming than rising hay prices could be looming. A nutritional deficiency could be sneaking into herds during this record-breaking year in agriculture.

“Some of the hay’s quality is so low, the animal could actually starve with their hay right in front of them,” says Ted Wiseman, Ohio State University Extension educator.

The enormous amount of rainfall last spring left many farmers unable to get into their fields to harvest hay before it became too mature. The longer the hay matured in the field, the lower its nutritional value, Wiseman explained.

There are other nutritional alternatives to replace hay in your herd’s diet. A cattleman could use corn as a protein source, for example, if protein is what the hay is lacking. Wiseman advises farmers and ranchers to get their hay nutritionally tested as a first step toward making sure their herds are getting the nutrition they need.

After testing the hay, a nutritionist can tell you the nutrients your herd could be lacking, and can help you set up a strategic feeding plan. This plan could include supplementing with other feeds to provide the vitamins or nutrients of which your hay doesn’t have enough.

“There are plenty of other alternative feeds that we can give that provide nutrients,” Wiseman says. “The most important part is knowing what you have in your hay now and knowing what you need to make up that nutritional difference.”

In addition to excess rainfall, cattlemen should watch out for cooler temperatures — particularly frosts that are occurring now. Frosts can poison certain grasses livestock feed on, says Mark Sulc, an OSU Extension forage specialist.

“Herds should be removed from pastures of sorghum grass species after a killing frost and even after a nonkilling frost. Toxic levels of prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide) can be produced in those plants after a frost, which can lead to death of animals,” Sulc says.

Sulc advises leaving livestock off of the pasture for at least five days after a killing frost, and for two weeks after a nonkilling frost.

While getting your hay’s nutrients tested or taking your livestock off of the pasture might seem like going the extra mile, it will ultimately ensure your herd’s overall health and best performance given the forages you have on hand, Sulc says.

Along with the worry of hay with fewer nutrients, farmers are facing another lingering issue: skyrocketing prices for hay.

The challenge of getting good-quality hay this year has driven up its price significantly. Hay prices have been much higher than in years past. Wiseman warns that prices will continue to rise as we head into the winter months, making hay an extremely hot commodity.

“Plan on having enough hay before the snow starts flying,” he says, “enough to get you through the winter.”

For full details on managing this potentially dangerous situation, visit forages.osu.edu.

Editor’s note: Emily Beal is a writer for the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University.