Sarah Clack, Agriculture Victoria Dairy Extension Officer
There are two aspects to making quality hay, starting with quality forage, and curing the forage to the appropriate dry matter content in as shorter time as possible.
When to cut forage for hay is a trade-off between quality and quantity. As the crop or pasture develops a seed head and reaches maturity the yield increases, however the quality declines.
The quality decline is a result of decreased metabolisable energy and crude protein, along with an increase in fibre. However, with cereal crops for example, it can be hard to cure if cut before the seed head has fully emerged.
Project 3030, which was run in the early 2000’s showed it was possible for a wheat yield at the boot stage to yield 7.9 tonnes dry matter per hectare with 10.2 megajoules of metabolisable energy per kilogram of dry matter.
At the soft dough stage the yield increased to 10.9 tonnes dry matter per hectare, but metabolisable energy dropped to 9.3 mega joules per kilogram of dry matter.
Cutting height of 15 centimetres (cm) is normally recommended for cereal crops. Cutting higher will increase the quality but reduce yields while cutting below will increase yields but reduce the quality (with increased stem).
Leaving 15 cm also allows for the curing fodder to sit on the stalks, allowing airflow under the windrow, reducing curing times and decreasing potential contamination from dirt and rocks.
Once the forage is cut the aim is to get the forage to the target dry matter content in as shorter time as possible to reduce dry matter and quality losses from plant respiration and potential rain damage.
To quicken the curing process, cut after the morning dew has lifted. Cut with a mower conditioner to crush the stems and nodes, to increase the rate of moisture loss. Leave the windrows behind the mower as wide as possible (75 – 90% of the mower width).
A tedder can be utilised to further spread the forage, reducing the thickness of the windrow and fluffing up to aid early drying.
Ideally hay should be baled at 10 to 15% moisture. Hay should not be baled over 18% moisture as there is risk of spoilage from microbial activity and the heat generated may result in hay fires.
A practical method of determining if cereal hay is ready to bale is to take a tightly bound handful of hay and wind it rapidly in a circular motion to produce shearing. If it doesn’t break within 3 turns it most likely isn’t cured enough.
A representative sample from across and underneath the windrow should be tested prior to baling. Nodes and seed heads are normally the last parts of the plant to fully cure. Nodes can be checked by squashing nodes onto a flat dark bar and if moisture is left behind it is not yet ready to bale.
