In a year like this when, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates, barely half of Ohio’s first cutting hay harvest was completed by mid-June, it is apparent that Ohio cattlemen will again be faced with finding ways to make “feed” from forages that were harvested way past their prime.

As an example of the hay quality we are seeing, a recent forage analysis on some Fairfield County mixed grass hay that was mowed in mid-June and baled shortly after shows less than 7% crude protein and less than 40% TDN (total digestible nutrients) on a dry matter basis.

I could tell you that’s not good feed, but perhaps a better way is to compare it to wheat straw. Book values I found for the feed nutrient content of wheat straw show a TDN of 43% and crude protein of 4.2% … not a lot different than the hay we tested. With so much of Ohio’s first cutting hay being made in late June and even into July this year, it creates a challenging feed-quality situation we have experienced far too often in recent years.

Feed of the quality referenced in the forage sample analysis above and fed to cows as long-term hay, even when offered in unlimited amounts, simply will not satisfy the nutritional requirements of a cow in the third trimester of gestation or lactation.

Without amendment, feeding this quality of forage results in cows with lesser body condition, poor-quality colostrum, delayed return to estrus, lower conception rates and lighter calf weaning weights. In part, this can result from cows not breeding on first service or having lower milk production than if they were on an adequate nutritional plane.

Considering that in many parts of Ohio, a forage quality problem exists again this year, it’s not realistic to expect we can replace all the poor-quality hay that was made this year with only a properly made second or third cutting.

It is apparent it will be necessary to find ways to efficiently use the lesser quality first cutting hay we have. There are options available to accomplish just that, and time to create and implement strategies that allows it without cow health suffering.

As you consider alternatives for efficiently feeding late-made, low-digestible forages, and stretching the supply of any high-quality forages that might be in inventory, consider this brief checklist:

In the meantime, if Mother Nature has caused you to be dealing with far too much hay of subpar quality, now is the time to assess feed inventory and create a plan for how to effectively and efficiently use what you have. Calves are and will continue to be into the foreseeable future too valuable to risk their health and performance by mismanaging momma’s nutrition in the coming months.

Smith is a program assistant in the Fairfield County OSU Extension office and a member of the OSU Extension Beef Team. The Beef Team publishes the weekly Ohio BEEF Cattle letter, which can be received via email or found at beef.osu.edu.