Middle of May; time to make hay

Hay making season has arrived here in the Northern Piedmont now that the soil has had a chance to dry out after the much-needed rain.

Seed heads are showing on all of our cool season grasses and the peak of quality is behind us now. The “early birds” will have cut by now and will end up making at least three cuttings if soil fertility and rainfall are adequate.

This early cutting reduces the volume per cutting, but quality goes up and the number of cuttings increases. With an extra cutting, you could have just as much tonnage and improve quality at the same time. One high quality bale can equal the feed value of 1 1/2 low quality bales. We know that cattle can fill up on low quality but still be short on nutrients. 

If you wait to cut Orchardgrass and Fescue until pollen is being shed, the plant is already over mature and lower in feed value. Not only are we after the protein and energy when making early hay but we want to capture a plant that is easy for the animals to digest. Think calf quality.

I realize hay-drying weather is sometimes hard to come by in May but this is when we have the best quality. Harlan White used to say that rained-on hay made in May is better feed than hay made under perfect conditions in June. I hear producers remark that this statement is correct. They have seen the difference in animal performance. Work hard to make your hay this month to capture the available quality. As a result of the rain we will have more volume than originally expected.

As we go about harvesting feed supplies for another winter, let me share some changes seen in cattle feeding management during last winter. I watched cows grazing in three different places in the county during February and on land I have not seen cattle graze on before. Beef farmers are incorporating winter grazing to reduce their hay needs. By most accounts, it costs about half as much to graze a cow for a day in the winter as it does to feed her hay. Costs are forcing people to change.

Fences can be fixed, cattle can be moved and costs can be cut when cattle are grazed during the winter. Land is the limiting factor with winter grazing, but the truth is you already have the land. All you have to do is change the stocking rate.

Terry Slusher, Floyd County cattle producer and former high school classmate, remarked to me that he looks at winter grazing as a stocking rate choice. He figures you can have 150 cows netting 100 dollars each or 100 cows netting 150 dollars each. It takes winter grazing to cut herd size and hold net income steady.

Date to remember: Culpeper Madison Feeder Cattle Association graded feeder cattle sale today at Culpeper Agricultural Enterprises on U.S. 29 south of town, Take in from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., regular sale at 5 p.m., graded sale at 7 p.m. Phone 547-2188.