Kaufman County Hay Show

1
Kaufman County Hay Show

• or making forage
• when it didnt rain.

2
Aggie Story

• Bird collisions into Airplane windshields are
  dangerous. DOT in DC requested proposals for the
  testing of new windshield. Aggie engineers
  received one of these grants, looked around and
  found the cheapest most effective method. They
  built the now famous
• CHICKEN GUN

3
Aggie Story

• The Aggies published this, and the Brits, having
  the same trouble with birds on trains, asked for
  and received it.
• The Brits set up the gun, and on the first test
  the chicken blasted through the windshield and
  embedded itself the drivers seat. They sent the
  data back to AM and asked for recommendations

4
Aggie Story

• The Aggie Engineers examined the data, came to a
  conclusion and sent the the Brits a report that
  basically said next time.
• THAW THE BIRD FIRST
• This proves once again.
• You gotta pay attention to the details

5
Hay Judging
6
Liebergs Law of Limits
7
Limits to Production in 1998

• Cold wet March
• Drought till October
• Limited hay
• overmature
• Limited forage
• Limited cattle price
• Armyworms
• Next year

8
1999

• Cattle prices should be up
• Restock hay supplies
• Quality not quantity
• Efficiency
• Rebuild pastures
• Weakened
• Cost

9
Stage of Harvest

• Digestibility is a function of maturity
• Crude protein is a function of maturity and soil
  nitrogen.

10
Maturity effects on Digestibility and Crude
protein.
11
Round bale storage

• Do
• avoid lighting other fire hazards
• pack flat ends together
• tight wrappings
• well drained
• cover (?)

• Dont
• place where fire can occur
• store around moisture
• use loose wrappings
• allow animals free access to storage areas
• waste hay

12
Rebuild Pastures

• Lots of open ground
• weeds
• Fertilizer
• Soil Test
• Repair, replant
• economics

13
Weed control and fertilizer effect on
Bermudagrass Yield (lbs/ac)
14
Nutrient removed (lbs/ac) by grazing and hay
forage management.
15
Bermudagrass and Ryegrass Growth Curve
16
Summary

• 98 was rough
• 99 should be better
• Effectively and efficiently harvest and store hay
• Rebuild as needed
• Make hay when its cheap, not when its expensive