Maybe you don't like to feed beef cattle grain during fall and winter, at least not any more than absolutely necessary. This could be a year when absolutely necessary means feeding more than you normally feed in terms of ground feed with supplement.

Related: How to take a hay test and collect forage samples in 8 steps

"It was just a tough hay year all the way around," says Chris Parker. He raises beef cattle, is an author for Forage Notes in Indiana Prairie Farmer, and was Purdue University Extension ag educator in Morgan County before retiring recently.

More than hay? These cows were getting some grain daily along with pasture and hay when necessary by late September due partially to a lack of quality forage.

"There just weren't many windows to get hay cut this spring," he recalls. "I cut some Memorial Day weekend, and then didn't get back in for a while."

Judging from the type of hay coming into fairs where I judged this summer, particularly in Morgan County and Franklin County, many fields of grass hay weren't cut until well into mid-summer. Some weren't cut until the rain finally tapered off in late July. Some hay coming into the fair was basically a mix of older grass that died and new growth that tried to come through it, all cut, dried and mixed together.

Typically grass hay has sufficient energy levels to maintain pregnant beef cattle during the winter, at least until calving time approaches, Parker notes. That may not always be the case this year.

The only way you will know for sure is to take forage samples from each lot or cutting of hay, he says. Probes are available for loan from most Extension offices. A typical forage sample will cost less than $20. Many commercial labs are available to choose from.

Related: Test hay to guide livestock feeding decisions

"What you will want to look for is crude protein contest, crude fiber and TDN, or total digestible nutrients," Parker says.

Labs include a relative feed value, or RFV, at the end of the report. The base line for average hay is 100. Grass hays can often make it into the 110 to 120 range, Parker says. However, it's more likely to see them in the 80 to 100 range this year.