Hay & Feed
Bale First Cutting a Little Too Green and the Stack Heats Itself, Sometimes Hot Enough to Burn
Hay put up above 18 to 20 percent moisture keeps working after it leaves the field. Sometimes it just molds and loses…
Hay & Feed
Drought-Stressed Oats Bank Nitrates in the Lower Stem, and the Cow That Fills Up Fast Is the One That Goes Down
When rain quits and cereal forage sits stunted in the field, nitrates pile up in the bottom of the stalk. Here's how…
Hay & Feed
The First Cutting You Leave Standing for Tonnage Loses the Protein You’ll Buy Back in a Sack Come Winter
Waiting an extra week to cut first-cutting alfalfa or grass hay buys you tonnage and costs you feed value. Here's how to…
Hay & Feed
Alfalfa Weevil Chews the Top Off Your First Cutting While You Wait for the Field to Fill In
Alfalfa weevil larvae strip the leaves off new growth right before first cutting, and the frosted-looking field you're waiting on may be…
Hay & Feed
Put Up Hay a Little Too Wet and the Stack Can Heat, Mold, or Catch Fire Weeks After Baling
Baling first-cutting hay before it's dry enough sets off heating inside the bale that can spoil feed and, in the worst case,…
Hay & Feed
Nitrate Builds Up in Drought-Stressed Annual Forage, and a Hungry Cow Can Load a Lethal Dose in One Meal
When cereal hay and green chop grow under drought stress, nitrate concentrates in the lower stems and can kill cattle fast. Here's…
Hay & Feed
Cut Your First-Cutting Alfalfa at Bud Stage, Because Every Day It Blooms Trades Leaf for Stem
First cutting sets the tone for your whole hay year. Waiting for more tonnage costs you protein, and cutting too short costs…
Hay & Feed
Alfalfa Weevil Chews the Top Out of Your First Cutting, and the Field Looks Frosted Before You Notice
Alfalfa weevil larvae feed on the growing tips in June and can strip a stand's protein and tonnage before the damage is…
Hay & Feed
Bale Your First Cutting Too Green and the Stack Heats Until It Cooks—or Catches Fire
Wet hay doesn't just mold. Bales put up above safe moisture can heat past 150 degrees, lose feed value, and in a…
Hay & Feed
Foxtail Barley Takes the Wet Spots in June, and the Awns It Buries in Your Hay Fester in a Cow’s Mouth All Winter
Those silvery seedheads coming on in the low ground and the field edges aren't harmless. Foxtail barley awns work into gums, cheeks…
Hay & Feed
The Alfalfa Weevil Frosts the Tips of Your First Cutting While You’re Waiting on the Swather
Alfalfa weevil larvae skeletonize the top leaves of a stand right before first cutting, and the damage looks like frost from the…
Hay & Feed
Bale That First Cutting Too Wet and the Stack Will Heat Until It Smokes
Hay put up a few points too green keeps working after it leaves the field. Learn to read moisture, stack for airflow,…
Hay & Feed
Cut the First Cutting at Early Bloom, or You’re Trading Protein for Tonnage You Don’t Need
Waiting on the alfalfa to bulk up feels like the smart play, but every day past early bloom pulls protein and energy…
Hay & Feed
Drought-Stressed Oats and Kochia Load Up on Nitrate, and a Hungry Cow Pays for It Fast
When a dry spring stunts your annual forage, nitrate can build to dangerous levels in the stems. Here's how to spot the…
Hay & Feed
Bale the First Cutting Too Wet and the Stack Can Catch Fire Three Weeks Later
Hay put up above safe moisture keeps heating in the stack long after you've left the field, and by July it can…
Hay & Feed
Cutting Hay a Week Late Costs You More Feed Value Than the Extra Tonnage Is Worth
Waiting for the swather to fill the windrow buys you bulk, but the protein and energy are already walking out of the…
Hay & Feed
Alfalfa Weevil Chews the Top Off Your First Cutting Before You Ever Drop the Sickle
Weevil larvae skeletonize the leaves off your best alfalfa in June, right when the stand should be filling out. Here's how to…
Hay & Feed
Bale It Too Wet and the Stack Cooks Itself From the Inside
Hay that goes in the stack a few points too wet heats, molds, loses feed value, and in a bad year lights…
Hay & Feed
Cut It at the Boot, Not When You Get Around to It: Timing First-Cutting Hay
Every day you wait past the boot stage, your grass hay loses protein and gains stem. Here's how to read the crop…
Hay & Feed
Bale It Too Wet and It’ll Cook: Watching Moisture on the First Cutting
Hay put up a little green feels like a win in a short weather window, but bales stacked too wet heat, mold,…
Hay & Feed
Cut the First Crop at Bud Stage: Hay That Tests, Not Just Fills the Stack
First cutting is where you make or lose your protein for the year. A few days' delay and the right baling moisture…
Hay & Feed
Do the Hay Math in June, Not in a Panic Come October
First cutting is the time to figure out whether you'll have enough winter feed — because June is when you still have…
Hay & Feed
Nitrate Poisoning in Drought-Stressed Forage: The Risk Building in Your Cereal Hay
When oats, barley, and cane crops grow under drought stress, nitrate can stack up in the lower stems and kill cattle fast.…
Hay & Feed
Wet Hay Heats Up: How First-Cutting Bales Catch Fire in the Stack
Baling first-cutting hay a little too damp can cook your stack from the inside out — and start a fire weeks after…
Hay & Feed
First-Cutting Hay: Cut at the Right Stage, Then Beat the Weather
Putting up good first-cutting hay in Montana comes down to two fights — cutting at the right maturity and getting it dry…