🌾 Hay

Hay is grass or legume forage that has been cut and dried as feed for livestock. Dairy farms often make it from pure alfalfa, which is high in protein and energy. Hay should be baled at 20% moisture or less. Above that, bacteria multiply and heat the bale.

Hay quality depends most on when the crop is cut. Alfalfa is cut just before flowering, and cutting late lowers protein, digestibility and how much a cow will eat. In Manitoba, premium first-cut alfalfa is cut around 10 to 15 June, but growing degree days are a better guide because timing can shift by up to three weeks. Hay for dairy cows and calves needs a relative feed value (RFV) of 140 to 150, while dry cows and heifers can use 100 to 120. Drying costs about five RFV points a day.

Moisture is hay's biggest hazard. Hay counts as dried down below 15%. Inside a bale, 150 °F (about 65 °C) is the danger zone: check twice a day and spread the stack out. At 175 °F (about 80 °C) hot spots are likely and the fire service should be called. Most of these fires happen in the first six weeks after baling. At 30% moisture bales can stay hot for up to 40 days.

Store hay under a roof in a well-drained building. Outdoors, cover bales with waterproof material and lift them off the ground on gravel, pallets or tyres. Leave gaps between bales for air. Unlike pasture, where a cow finds its own feed, hay has to be cut, dried and kept.