siteadmin posted on September 21, 2010 08:37
Record rainfall made haying a chore in 2010, and now many producers must manage poor quality hay, say industry advisors.
Most of the agricultural regions of Saskatchewan had much higher than normal rainfall from April to August, and most of central Saskatchewan had record amounts. Haying is usually completed in July, but is being completed much later due to this year’s rainy weather which created conditions where field drying was difficult to impossible.
Hay must be dried to 15% moisture to store properly. The wet summer this year has resulted in a significant amount of hay being made that is too wet to store properly. Mold and heat damage occurs when hay is made above 18% moisture. Moldy hay means a loss of protein and energy levels for feeding to cattle and other livestock.
Tough hay (above 18% moisture) in stacks or storage can generate enough heat to start on fire. Wet hay that is at risk of heating should be monitored with a temperature probe. It should be stacked or stored separately from dry hay to prevent catastrophic loss in the event of fire.
Other regions (e.g., Ontario, Northeast US states) typically have wetter summers and have experience with managing wet hay issues. Producers can find useful information from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Ag Knowledge Centre, Saskatchewan Forage Council, or the Western Beef Development Centre.
to read the entire press release click
here
for more information contact:
Paul Jefferson
VP Operations
Western Beef Development Centre
306.682.3139 ext. 272
Janice Bruynooghe
Executive Director
Saskatchewan Forage Counceil
306.966.2148
Ag Knowledge Centre
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculutre
1.866.457.2377