Hay that was harvested this year in late June or early July under warm, sunny skies is likely to have good quality.
However, many parts of the Prairies lacked those perfect haying conditions, resulting in forage variability.
Barry Yaremcio, a beef and forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture, encourages cattle producers to test hay if it was baled late or wet.
“There can be a reduction in total feed intake because of the high fibre content, especially the NDF, neutral detergent fibre,” Yaremcio said.
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Feed with higher NDF takes longer for an animal to digest. Total feed intake is reduced when the rumen remains full longer, and cow body weight will decline.
A 1,400 pound cow will eat 32 lb. of dry matter per day. Yaremcio said producers may have to add higher quality forages if high fibre levels result in lower intake.
Hay protein levels might be lower because of low temperatures in June and July that affected forage growth and quality.
Typical alfalfa grass hay has 12 to 14 percent protein, but tests this year show only eight to 11 percent protein in many samples, he said.
“A cow in mid pregnancy needs seven percent protein content in their ration on a dry basis,” said Yaremcio.
It needs nine percent in late pregnancy and 11 percent after calving.
“In normal years, when the hay is in that 12, 13, 14 percent (protein), there’s no need for protein supplementation, but this year it’s going to be something they need to look at.”
Lower feed intake and reduced protein can result in a downward spiral for cows, leading to problems with impaction, poor growth rate and reduced immunity.
“Cows that lose weight and are thin going into the calving period, they typically have a 20 to 30 percent reduction in the success of breeding the next year,” Yaremcio said.
As well, colostrum produced by thin cows is often of lower quantity and quality, causing risks to calf health.
Testing the feed and adjusting the ration accordingly can prevent those problems, but Yaremcio estimates only 15 to 20 percent of cattle producers have their hay tested.
This might be a good year to do that testing, he said.
