Hay quality is mysterious this year

In the heart of America’s Dairyland, the top-crop is forage for dairy animals (mainly milking cows). Forage can take on a lot of different forms, such as corn silage, summer annual crops (like oats or sorghum sudan grass), but the most popular is generalized into one word: hay. Baled, chopped, grazed; the green sea of grass, clovers, and alfalfa have been on the landscape in our rural communities for a very, very long time, and still is considered the backbone of a dairy farm’s operation. I would also argue it is the most influential; providing consistent yield performance for tonnage/ storage, feed quality to produce more milk, and various forms (dry hay or chopped hay). This season, however, has produced a mysterious situation that has provided unpredictability for farmers, where the wetter season has provided decent yields but less than standard quality.

When we discuss “hay” today (not down by the bay, but I just may) it is mostly referring to perennial and annual forage grasses (such as annual ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, orchard grass, meadow fescue, etc), perennial clovers, and alfalfa. With the ample amounts of rainfall the vegetative production of established hay fields (2 years or older) was excellent, showing +0.5-2.0 tons per acre more than usual, but when it was tested it showed lower protein and relative feed quality (RFQ). If conditions were right to provide higher tonnage, it is hard to imagine that it would negatively affect the quality, until we think about what heavy rainfall can influence in a field and on a farm. Excessive, heavy, ‘too-much’, however you want to quantify it; the rainfall this season has been a lot. According to Wisconsin State Climatology Office, the Wausau area has accumulated over 32 inches of precipitation since January, compared to the 30 year average of 23 inches. The UW Agricultural Research Station in Stratford shows an unprecedented 26.51 inches of rainfall…only since April. The amount of precipitation cascaded into several issues with the hay production. Rainfall can cause leaching of nutrients from the cut hay laying on the field. Even a light rain can flush nutrients out of the cut plants. Rain can also drive the breakdown of tissues, specifically the most nutrient dense part of a plant; its leaves. Between bacteria breaking down tissue and rain drops literally disintegrating the softer leaves, the more rigid parts of the plants (such as the stems) are left which are less digestible for cows.

The saturated ground also made it difficult for full up-take of nutrients and added more stress to the plants. It’s kind of like trying to have a picnic in the park standing in wet mud instead of soft grass. You wouldn’t feel comfortable either. The added stress also quickened how fast the plants produced a seed head, even causing some species to head-out multiple times (annual ryegrass). When forage plants mature and produce seed heads, the quality declines. Essentially the plants just never had good conditions to operate.

Speaking of operating; the logistics of harvesting faired poorly. With precipitation stalling cuttings, the hay over matured and when hay was finally cut, the rain would keep coming, not allowing the cut hay to properly dry down. Frequent and heavy equipment also strained the soiled fields, leaving some damage. Alfalfa fields took the hardest hit from equipment. With its shallow root structure and exposed base (the crown) the soil profile was softer in the heavy moisture, which allowed tires from the tractors to “smoosh” the crowns in the mud, which damages/kills the plant.

A question often posed in agriculture is: “what could I have done differently?” With these issues discussed it was almost impossible to circumnavigate with the precipitation we are continuing to experience. With that being said, some species proved to give a better advantage considering the circumstances. One of those was perennial clovers. They were outstanding and reminded me why our farming region is known as “the Cloverbelt.” Cool, wet weather did little to slow down the clovers, providing nitrogen to the field and protein levels in the forage.

THE SOIL

SOUNDOFF

BY

MATT OEHMICHEN AGRONOMIST