Van Zandt County

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Van Zandt County

• Hay Show
• 1999

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Hay Judging
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Chemical Score
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Limits to Production in 1999

• Dry Winter
• Wet Spring delayed harvest
• Drought
• Lots of low quality hay and forage
• Limited fall growth
• Winter pasture (?)
• Grasshoppers Armyworms (?)

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2000

• Cattle prices should be up
• Rebuild grass stands
• Rebuild hay supplies
• Winter pasture needs (?)

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Hay Production

• Hay Production is the most expensive part of
  cow/calf production
• Concepts
• Quality Counts
• Economic Production Practices
• MEY Strategy
• Proper Harvesting
• Reduction of Storage Losses

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Producing Quality Hay

• Plant digestibility
• What can be used by livestock
• Plant composition
• Whats in it.

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Stage of Harvest

• Digestibility is a function of maturity
• Crude protein is a function of maturity and soil
  nitrogen.

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Maturity effects on Digestibility and Crude
protein.
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Crude Protein Response to N Rate
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Bermudagrass and Ryegrass Growth Curve
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Growth curve

• First two cutting have the highest yield and
  quality
• Later cuttings are more expensive per pound of
  hay
• Stock piling possible
• use early
• supplement
• sward health

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Weed control in pastures
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Nutrient removed (lbs./ac) by grazing and hay
production
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Fertility Management

• Soil Test
• Utilize known nutrients
• Correct deficiencies
• Correlate with production practice
• Nutrient Management
• Maintain production
• Minimize mining

• No Soil Test
• SWAG at best
• Assume known nutrient removal
• nutrient replacement
• Renter mentality
• Short term vs. long term management goals.

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Fertility Management

• Nitrogen Bermudagrass
• Grazing180 units/year include recycled
• Hay most responsive with early harvests
• Hybrid Bermuda 100 units/cutting, split
• others 60 units/cutting
• Phosphorus
• 60 - 120 units per year
• pH dependent
• build up with manure

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Fertility Management

• Potassium Tricky
• Grazing limited
• Hay mining possible
• First indication Winter kill
• Late application may be more important

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Fertility Management

• Soil pH
• limits nutrient availability
• Cool season more intolerant
• Ryegrass/small grains pHgt5.8
• Clover
• pHlt7 crimson, arrowleaf, subterranean, lespedeza
• pHgt7alfalfa, berseem, sweetclover, vetch, medics
  (?)

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Fertility Management

• Secondary Ca, Mg, S.
• Ca, Mg adjust with lime
• Mg adds color
• Sulfur becoming more important
• Micronutrients Zn, Cu, others
• responsive if major nutrient needs are met
• pH regulates
• pHlt5.5 Zn, Cu, others
• pHgt7.5 Fe, others

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Important factors to making quality hay

• Stage of Maturity at harvest
• Forage Species
• Legumes produce better hay (?)
• Annuals gt perennials
• Nitrogen for grasses
• Moisture content at baling
• Time of Storage
• Storage conditions

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Dry matter loss due to Moisture Content

• Early Respiration Losses (90-gt40 M)
• Mechanical losses (40-gt15 M)
• Raking Baling loss
• Solutions
• Handle at with moisture (dew, late evening)
• Crimp/Crush
• Reduce curing time
• reduce weathering
• reduce leaf shatter

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Minimizing Dry Matter Loss

• Bale at proper moisture (18-22)
• Prevent or minimize moisture infiltration after
  baling

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Critical Bale Temperatures
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Moisture considerations

• Small Rectangular Bales
• bale _at_ lt22 moisture
• Large Round Bales
• bale _at_ lt18 moister
• large bales retain internal heat longer
• Any hay baled at gt22 moisture should not be
  stored for one month to allow adequate dryings

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Major Feed Value Losses

• Late cutting losses in digestibility
• Wilting losses in swarth
• Leaf shattering due to low moisture and improper
  handling
• Excessive moisture at baling
• Water infiltration into the bale after baling

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Large Bale Losses

• Moisture content _at_ baling
• Forage type
• legumes high quality deserve proper storage
• Rainfall during storage
• Distribution vs. amount
• Bale Density
• Site Drainage
• Bale Drying

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Summary

• 99 got rough (again), 2000 should be better
• Dont plan on feeding hay, but have a plan to
  feed hay.
• Effectively efficiently harvest store hay
• Cheap hay is expensive
• Rebuild as needed

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REMEMBER

• If you always do what youve always done
• Youll always get what you always got!
• If that much