By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

PRINCETON, Ky. — The wet conditions the state has experienced much of this year have created challenges for many farmers, but pastureland has experienced a rebound over the last two drought-stricken seasons.

Kentucky’s last crop report placed pasture conditions at 54 percent good and 21 percent excellent. In some areas, producers were still cutting and baling hay as late as last week.

Could the last two years be just a memory as far as hay quality goes? Not so fast, warn University of Kentucky (UK) experts. While this year has been great for forage production, the previous two years’ situation may still be having an effect on cows.

Roy Burris, UK College of Agriculture beef specialist, said the last two years of dry weather created quality problems, leading to poor nutritional problems.

“The problem is the delayed effects of poor nutrition,” he said. “Last winter we were suffering from a feed shortage caused by two consecutive years of drought conditions, which caused us to maintain our cows in less than optimum conditions.”

Burris also said pregnancy rates for spring-calving cows are lower than usual this year and farmers should pregnancy-check their herds to identify open cows and then plan ahead for their winter feeding program.

“Plan to give cows some supplemental feed from calving time until grass is adequate to maintain good body condition going into the next breeding season,” he said. “Farmers should have adequate hay supplies, but they should still calculate their needs to be sure.”
Testing that hay is also a good idea. In the recent Forage News, published by UK, hay marketing specialist Tom Keene writes in reference to the abundant rainfall the state has experienced this year: “This additional rainfall has made the hay stored outside deteriorate at a much greater rate than normal and will cause our storage and feeding losses to skyrocket.

“The most economical and efficient correction for this type of hay would be to make sure that the hay is tested either with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Hay Testing Program or with another certified laboratory, and then feed according to the class of livestock being fed.”

Keene also noted that keeping any additional rainfall off of the hay either by tarping or by storing it inside would help. Burris said producers routinely should carry over some hay they have stored inside and remember to feed outside hay first.

“Hopefully, you’ll have some inside hay left over, and you can use that in case of a pasture or hay shortage next year. You don’t have to ‘zero-out’ your hay supply this winter if some of it is stored inside,” he explained.

The KDA hay testing program phone number is 800-248-4628. The agency charges a $10 fee per lot (same field, same cutting) for the service and the producer will receive an analysis of the forage’s nutritional value and an “Interpreting Forage Quality Report” guide. For a list of other certified testing labs, visit www.foragetesting.org