Hay-making is an old process in agriculture, but it is good to be reminded of the characteristics of good hay and how to make sure that your animals get the best advantage. Prof Chris Dannhauser, Pasture Consultant of Selected Seeds, takes us through the history and gives some valuable advice on haymaking.

Hay was produced as early as 550 years BC. Literature studies showed that the first hay in the Cape was cut in 1674, and it is believed that this was the first hay in Southern Africa. The species that was used at that stage is not clear, but recently we know that grasses like Eragrostis curvula (weeping love grass), teff,
Panicum maximum (Guinea grass/white buffalo grass), Chloris gayana (Rhodes grass) and lucerne are popular hay crops. In recent times, it is clear that Rhodes grass and lucerne are the most popular ones in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Kenya. Lucerne mostly under irrigation and Rhodes grass on dry land or rain fed.

The emphasis of this article will be on dry land hay production, thus on grass species like Rhodes grass. The origin and first usage of Rhodes grass is not very well documented. It is clear that Cecil John Rhodes (politician in South Africa), became interested in this grass as early as in the1860’s, from there the common name, Rhodes grass. It is further believed that he was also involved in the distribution of this grass to the rest of Southern Africa.

Rhodes grass is a tender, leafy, perennial grass that grows as high as 1,0 to 1,6 m. It is very easy to establish, because it forms runners (stolons) above ground, as well as underground rhizomes. It is, therefore, good for erosion control but also a good hay and grazing crop.

Katambora Rhodes grass, originally from the banks of the Zambezi River in the Victoria Falls area, is still a

popular and good hay and grazing crop. However, grass breeding is an ongoing process in agriculture, and in this process a new Rhodes grass cultivar with the name, “Finecut”, appeared on the horizon.

Finecut was selected from the Katambora cultivar and was deve-loped in Australia, specifically for hay production. It is a diploid cultivar bred for its fine stems and high leaf to stem ratio. It is not only a hay crop, it is also a good grazing grass.

Selected Seeds (Australia and South Africa) distributes Finecut and it is protected under the Plant Breeders Rights Act.

Some of the best hay produced in Zambia is a mixture between Rhodes grass and Stylo (Stylosanthus spp). The advantage is a palatable grass with a protein rich legume and the mixture results in higher animal production.

Characteristics of good quality hay

Although hay-making is an old process in agriculture, it sometimes seems that not everybody knows the characteristics of good hay. The following are external characteristics of good hay:

• The colour of conserved hay should be green and not a “straw colour”.
• Hay should be leafy with minimum stems.
• It should have a pleasant aroma, not a sour, damp or pungent smell.
• No stones, wires, plastic ropes, soil or foreign plant material should be present in hay.

It is important to remember that if CP content of the pasture or hay is above 13%, the animals can maintain their weight and above 18% they will gain weight. However, if the CP content falls below 6 to 8%, their appetites will be depressed and the pasture intake by the animal will decrease.

How to produce good quality hay

The following factors influence hay quality:

Fertilisation

By cutting hay two to four times per season, feeding elements like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as other macro and micro elements, will be removed. In a grazing situation, some elements will be recycled by dung and urine, but not when hay is cut and removed. Therefore, annual fertilisation according to soil analyses is important.

Cutting stage

The growth/cutting stage directly influences the nutritional value of hay. In many cases the emphasis is on maximum production (t/ha), when the hay is cut at a tall, matured and dry stage. If it is done at this late stage, the quality will be low because of more stems and less leaf material. Table 2 shows the influence of maturity during mowing on the quality of Smutsfinger grass (Digitaria eriantha) and weeping love grass (Eragrostis curvula).

The results in Table 2 show that when cut during early flowering, the crude protein and digestibility of hay are the highest. This is when there are less stems and those present are less fibrous.

Curing or drying

The ideal is to cut the material early in the morning, to let it dry in the sun during the day, and to bale it late in the afternoon of the same day. In many cases it is difficult to do so, particularly in countries such as Zambia and Kenya, because of frequent rains during the season when grasses are in the cutting stage.

The moisture content of grass at a young stage can be as high as 70 to 80%, and to bale it successfully the moisture should be reduced to 10 to 20%. This can be done with grass species with fine stems and thin leafs and by using the correct implements.

Sunshine and rain are two of the most important climatic elements in agriculture, but if we do not manage our hay-making process correctly, they can both decrease hay quality. Drying hay for too long in the sun (2 to 4 days) is harmful, but rain on the

material during the drying process may also cause damage. Some important factors to consider:

• Consult the existing weather forecast services
• Do not cut more material than can be baled on one day
• Newer and well equipped machinery can be useful
• Use cultivars with fine stems and thin leaves (as mentioned earlier)

Hay-making implements

Mowers

Mowers with bruisers or crimpers (conditioners) are ideal to bruise the plant material and accelerate the drying process. This is the ideal mower to use when hay is mowed at a younger stage for higher quality. Remember, mowing at a younger stage improves quality and will result in more cuts per season, thus not lower production per season.

Rake

The traditional round wheel rake is one of the most popular implements to place the hay in windrows. The disadvantage is that it forms rolled windrows and it cannot spread the material to be aerated.

Tedder

The tedder is not well known and it is expensive, but by using it, the drying process is much shorter to prevent sun and rain damage, and that means higher quality hay. Most modern mowers place the material in a windrow and that can be followed up by the tedder that spreads it open to aerate it. The tedder action can be repeated two to three times a day, to speed up the drying process for baling on the same day.

Baler

The type of baler is the farmer’s own choice, but the traditional small square baler is still popular because its bales are so easy to handle or stack. Round balers are becoming increasingly popular as they too have advantages. They are quicker to bale more material per day. Some of these balers can be adjusted to compact the hay differently (loose or compacted), thus slightly wet material can be baled loosely and more aerated, to prevent damage. The cover material of most of these balers are dense and prevent water penetration. Round bales can also be wrapped to make grass silage.

For more information, contact Prof Chris Dannhauser, Pasture Consultant & Selected Seed, at chriswei@vodamail.co.za. or (+27) 082-873-4736.