Like the rest of the state, we have had an abundance of rain in the last few months. This increased rainfall has had impacts in our community through localized flooding in some urban areas, but also has caused some headaches for hay producers.
While ample rain helps forages like bermudagrass, fescue and others to grow, it does create problems when it comes to cutting. Farmers need dry days to cut quality forages.
According to Animal Science and Forages Regional Extension Agent Dr. Landon Marks, “The biggest takeaway is that hay fields have not been able to be harvested due to limited days of no rain; therefore the forages have become overly mature and thus lower quality.