Joanna visits with Nick Roy, Adair County Extension Agent for Agriculture, to discuss Hay Feeding Strategies.
Increases in the price of fertilizer has many livestock farmers concerned on how they will meet the nutrient needs of their forage crops in 2022. A recent analysis revealed that a 1,000 pound bale of hay contains $38.66 in fertilizer value. Utilizing manure produced from hay consumed by livestock can help offset fertilizer costs in 2022. Livestock producers who utilize hay feeding pads, fence line feeders, or housing structures should target manure applications to areas of the farm that need nutrients as identified by a soil test. Fred Thomas, a beef cattle farmer in Adair County has utilized bale grazing in recent years to distribute manure and nutrients across his farm during the winter. Bale grazing consists of setting hay bales across the pasture at the beginning of the winter and only allowing cows access to a few days’ worth of hay at a time. Thomas’s bale grazing practices has resulted in his soil nutrient levels testing in the low range to the high range therefore avoiding the need to apply synthetic fertilizers. For more information on bale grazing and utilizing manures for fertilizer, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service.
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Warren County Cooperative Extension Service
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