Forage Quantity vs. Forage Quality

It’s an age-old question. Quality versus quantity. When it comes to a farm’s profitability, however, it is important to decide what drives profitability—especially in terms of forage.

Experts generally agree that in order for a farm to be profitable, yield and quality need to be balanced. So let’s look at the value of hay in terms of quantity and quality.

Yield Quantity:

When it comes to deciding the value of a hay yield, dry hay is fairly straightforward. Silage can be a bit trickier since yield value and forage contracts are determined using dry tons. In order to make the correct determination when it comes to silage, it is important to determine both wet tons harvested as well as moisture concentration.

A drive-over scale or volumetric estimates of the storage structure or forage wagon can be used to measure wet tons. It is critical that you develop a moisture sampling protocol to calculate moisture content. What follows is an example of such a protocol. When harvesting, you should record loads per field and then use an adequate number of measurements to figure out the moisture content of the field. The amount of loads that should be sampled will vary according to the size of fields. Fields over 25 acres will require two or three loads. From each sampled load, approximately five sub-samples should be placed into a large bucket. Incorporate the subsamples together by folding the samples together by hand. Finally, scoop two or three small samples out of the bucket and measure the moisture contained within these samples.

Yield Quality:

When it comes to forage quality there are two factors to consider. These factors are nutrient content and nutrient digestibility. Forage quality will be valued on the market hay price or milk value per ton of forage. Too much fiber will dilute the energy.

High quality dairy corn silage and alfalfa hay will contain less than 40 percent fiber. The best grass, small grain or sorghum silages will have less than 50 percent. Achieving crops with lower fiber will require careful management, remembering that harvesting should depend less on the calendar and more on plant and grain maturity.

When it comes to corn silage, selecting the right seed can make all the difference. And when you manage corn silage so that it contains less fiber, you also improve the digestibility of fiber. Another way to boost digestibility is to cut legumes and grasses earlier.

In the end, achieving higher quantities of hay or higher quality of hay doesn’t have to be an either-or proposition. With the right planning you may just be able to achieve the perfect balance of quality vs. quantity.