2014 Southeast Hay Convention
Improving Forage Quality
Improving Forage Quality
To set the stage…
• Current trends
-  Poor quality forage
Dr. Dennis Hancock
Extension Forage Specialist
Crop and Soil Sciences – UGA
Photo credit: Noble Founda3on. Primary Factors Affecting Forage Quality
92 vs. 103 RFQ
(11% lower than normal)
80 vs. 95 RFQ
(16% lower than normal)
Factor
Recommendation
Plant Maturity
Cut bermudagrass every 4-5 wks; cut tall fescue in
the boot or early head stage.
Forage Species
Use the highest-quality species that will persist in
your environment.
Bale Storage
Protect bales from rainfall and weathering during
storage (i.e., barn, tarp, etc.)
Rain During Curing
Avoid cutting if significant rainfall (> 0.50 inches) is
predicted during curing.
Moisture at Baling
Allow forage to dry to the appropriate moisture
(Round: 15%; Square: 18%)
Fertilization
Provide fertilizer based on soil test recommendations
Variety
Use varieties that have proven to be higher in
quality.
The Paradox of Forage
Quality and Quantity
Bermudagrass MaturityDigestibility
Digested DM/Ac
12000
Growth Curve
8000
Tons/Acre Forage Mass
(dry lbs/acre)
2.5
Digestibility & Palatability
10000
6000
4000
2000
0
2.0
1.5
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Days of Growth
Dr. Dennis Hancock
Extension Forage Agronomist
JUST MORE MANURE!!!
1.0
0.5
0.0
0
Undigested DM/Ac
4 Weeks
Majority of hay harvested at hard seed stage
Only truly applicable with spring harvest
1
6 Weeks
8 Weeks
2014 Southeast Hay Convention
Improving Forage Quality
Harvest Timing
Recommendations
Be Careful of Cutting Height
• Hybrid Bermudagrass
-
-
1st cut at 12-16 inches
Subsequent cuttings at 3.5-5 week intervals
•  Tall fescue, ryegrass, orchardgrass, etc.
-
-
-
Spring cut at early flower stage
Mid to late boot stage for higher quality
Subsequent cuttings at 10-12 inches (better quality)
•  Alfalfa
-
-
Spring cut at when 10-20% of plants are blooming
Cut at late bud – 10% bloom stage
Primary Factors Affecting Forage Quality
Write this down in
BIG BOLD letters!
“GRASS GROWS GRASS.”
Quality Differences in the
Major Forage Species
Digestible DM, %
40
Dr. Dennis Hancock
Extension Forage Agronomist
High Production
Legumes
Tropical Annual
Grasses
50
Tropical Perennial
Grasses
60
Cool Season Perennial
Grasses
70
Cool Season Annual Grasses
80
Mod. Production
Maint.
2
Factor
Recommendation
Plant Maturity
Cut bermudagrass every 4-5 wks; cut tall fescue in
the boot or early head stage.
Forage Species
Use the highest-quality species that will persist in
your environment.
Bale Storage
Protect bales from rainfall and weathering during
storage (i.e., barn, tarp, etc.)
Rain During Curing
Avoid cutting if significant rainfall (> 0.50 inches) is
predicted during curing.
Moisture at Baling
Allow forage to dry to the appropriate moisture
(Round: 15%; Square: 18%)
Fertilization
Provide fertilizer based on soil test recommendations
Variety
Use varieties that have proven to be higher in
quality.
2014 Southeast Hay Convention
Improving Forage Quality
Primary Factors Affecting Forage Quality
Factor
Recommendation
Plant Maturity
Cut bermudagrass every 4-5 wks; cut tall fescue in
the boot or early head stage.
Forage Species
Use the highest-quality species that will persist in
your environment.
Bale Storage
Protect bales from rainfall and weathering during
storage (i.e., barn, tarp, etc.)
Rain During Curing
Avoid cutting if significant rainfall (> 0.50 inches) is
predicted during curing.
Moisture at Baling
Allow forage to dry to the appropriate moisture
(Round: 15%; Square: 18%)
Fertilization
Provide fertilizer based on soil test recommendations
Variety
Use varieties that have proven to be higher in
quality.
14 inches ~74% of the bales volume is contained in that 14 inches.
Moisture distribution of mixed
grass-legume round bales stored on
the ground
Moisture distribution of mixed
grass-legume round bales stored on
the ground vs. elevated
% Moisture % Moisture Twine Wrapped Twine Wrapped Net Wrapped Shinners, University of Wisconsin Shinners, University of Wisconsin The Effect of Rainfall on
DM Loss
Recommendation
Plant Maturity
Cut bermudagrass every 4-5 wks; cut tall fescue in
the boot or early head stage.
Forage Species
Use the highest-quality species that will persist in
your environment.
Bale Storage
Protect bales from rainfall and weathering during
storage (i.e., barn, tarp, etc.)
Rain During Curing
Avoid cutting if significant rainfall (> 0.50 inches) is
predicted during curing.
Moisture at Baling
Allow forage to dry to the appropriate moisture
(Round: 15%; Square: 18%)
Fertilization
Provide fertilizer based on soil test recommendations
Variety
Use varieties that have proven to be higher in
quality.
Dr. Dennis Hancock
Extension Forage Agronomist
DM Loss, %
Primary Factors Affecting Forage Quality
Factor
On a Pallet Scarbrough et al., 2005 3
Rainfall, in.
2014 Southeast Hay Convention
Improving Forage Quality
Crop Moisture Lessens Rain
Damage on Bermudagrass
The Effect of Rain on
Tall Fescue Hay
Turner et al., 2003
Rainfall, in.
Scarbrough et al., 2005 Primary Factors Affecting Forage Quality
Protect bales from rainfall and weathering during
storage (i.e., barn, tarp, etc.)
Rain During Curing
Avoid cutting if significant rainfall (> 0.50 inches) is
predicted during curing.
Moisture at Baling
Allow forage to dry to the appropriate moisture
(Round: 15%; Square: 18%)
Fertilization
Provide fertilizer based on soil test recommendations
Variety
Use varieties that have proven to be higher in
quality.
Heat
Yield and Digestibility of
Bermudagrass Hybrids
Primary Factors Affecting Forage Quality
Cut bermudagrass every 4-5 wks; cut tall fescue in
the boot or early head stage.
Forage Species
Use the highest-quality species that will persist in
your environment.
Bale Storage
Protect bales from rainfall and weathering during
storage (i.e., barn, tarp, etc.)
Rain During Curing
Avoid cutting if significant rainfall (> 0.50 inches) is
predicted during curing.
Moisture at Baling
Allow forage to dry to the appropriate moisture
(Round: 15%; Square: 18%)
Variety
Use varieties that have proven to be higher in
quality.
Variety
Use varieties that have proven to be higher in
quality.
Dr. Dennis Hancock
Extension Forage Agronomist
140
Yield
Digestibility
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Co
as
ta
l
Recommendation
Plant Maturity
Differences (%)
Relative to Coastal
Factor
Heat-Damaged
Protein
4
44
Bale Storage
ft
on
Use the highest-quality species that will persist in
your environment.
Ti
Forage Species
DM Intake
Useable Protein
m
m
on
Cut bermudagrass every 4-5 wks; cut tall fescue in
the boot or early head stage.
Co
Recommendation
Plant Maturity
Heat Damage to Crude Protein
Protein
Factor
ificant. Variety
l
59.7
us
se
l
63.2
re, Not Sign
R
Digestibility, %
76% Moistu
ia
76.0
Al
ic
68.1
oisture
13% M
85
NDF, %
Intake, % of b.w.
oisture
40% M
Ti
ft
on
Rain Damage
1.92
NDF, %
No Rain
2.10
2014 Southeast Hay Convention
Improving Forage Quality
Primary Factors Affecting Forage Quality
Factor
Recommendation
Plant Maturity
Cut bermudagrass every 4-5 wks; cut tall fescue in
the boot or early head stage.
Forage Species
Use the highest-quality species that will persist in
your environment.
Bale Storage
Protect bales from rainfall and weathering during
storage (i.e., barn, tarp, etc.)
Rain During Curing
Avoid cutting if significant rainfall (> 0.50 inches) is
predicted during curing.
Moisture at Baling
Allow forage to dry to the appropriate moisture
(Round: 15%; Square: 18%)
Variety
Use varieties that have proven to be higher in
quality.
Fertilization
Provide fertilizer based on soil test recommendations
Does fertility or harvest timing
affect quality more?- Crude Protein
(4X as much N) Bromegrass Colovos et al. 1961 Does fertility or harvest timing
affect quality more?- Digestibility
Effect of N Rates on
Bermudagrass CP & Digestibility
(3.8 X as much N) 20 15 10 5 0 Bromegrass Colovos et al. 1961 Burton et al.
Recommendation
Plant Maturity
Cut bermudagrass every 4-5 wks; cut tall fescue in
the boot or early head stage.
Forage Species
Use the highest-quality species that will persist in
your environment.
Bale Storage
Protect bales from rainfall and weathering during
storage (i.e., barn, tarp, etc.)
Rain During Curing
Avoid cutting if significant rainfall (> 0.50 inches) is
predicted during curing.
Moisture at Baling
Allow forage to dry to the appropriate moisture
(Round: 15%; Square: 18%)
Variety
Use varieties that have proven to be higher in
quality.
Fertilization
Provide fertilizer based on soil test recommendations
Dr. Dennis Hancock
Extension Forage Agronomist
0 DigesKbility 400 1400 Annual lbs N/year Anti-Quality Factors
Primary Factors Affecting Forage Quality
Factor
Crude Protein Nitrate Toxicity
•  Nitrate (NO3-) is reduced to nitrite (NO22-) by
microbes in the digestive tract
•  Once in the bloodstream, (NO2) binds with
hemoglobin (creating methemoglobin)
§  Prevents the normal transfer of oxygen.
§  Bluish color of mucous membranes, rapid and difficult
breathing, a rapid pulse (>150 bpm), tremors,… death.
§  Dark brown or “chocolate-colored” blood.
5
70 68 66 64 62 60 58 56 54 52 50 DigesKbility, % Crude Protein, % 25 2014 Southeast Hay Convention
Improving Forage Quality
Nitrate in forage fed to beef cattle.
Forage Nitrate (ppm dry forage) Guidance < 4500 Safe to feed with adequate feed and water 4,500 to < 6,500 Safe under most condi3ons, but if feeding pregnant animals limit to half (1/2) ra3on 6,500 to < 9,000 Limit to half (1/2) ra3on 9,000 to < 15,000 Limit to third (1/3) ra3on 15,000 to < 18,000 Limit to quarter (1/4) ra3on > 18,000 Poten3ally lethal, very risky Subclinical Nitrate Toxicosis
• Open cow that goes unexplained
• Lower milk production or gain.
Anti-Quality Factors
Anti-Quality Factors
Prussic Acid Toxicity
Fescue Endophyte/Alkaloids
•  Certain plants (e.g., the sorghum species, black
cherry, etc.) contain cyanogenic glycosides that
can release hydrocyanic acid (HCN).
•  Assume that it is present unless known not to
be.
•  Ergot alkaloids cause fescue toxicosis
§  Reduced animal performance, poor conception, excess heat
stress, vasoconstriction, retained hair coat, retained placenta,
aglactica, loss of hooves, loss of tail switch, etc.
•  HCN in rumen -> bloodstream -> combines
with hemoglobin to form cyanoglobin.
§  HCN prevents transfer of O2 from hemoglobin to the tissues.
§  Symptoms: inc. respiration rate, pulse rate, muscular tremors,
blue coloration around mouth, ... sudden death.
§  Bright red color of the blood.
•  Conc. can be tested
§  Agronostics, LLC (Watkinsville, GA)
www.georgiaforages.com
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Dr. Dennis Hancock
Extension Forage Agronomist
6