Few things are more discouraging than an unexpected rain that ruins an almost-dry cutting of hay. It is a pill that never gets easier to swallow, even in parts of the country that receive greater amounts of annual rainfall.
No matter how well farmers gauge the forecast and plan cutting and baling around the weather, forage harvest is not guaranteed to go off without a hitch. Being prepared for the best- and worst-case scenarios is always necessary since Mother Nature can be a hay producer’s biggest fan or worst nightmare.
The former situation took shape one afternoon earlier this month at Mississippi State Extension’s Forage and Grazing Management Workshop in Raymond, Miss. The warm temperatures, full sun, and strong winds would have been ideal conditions for drying the annual ryegrass that would soon be cut at the Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station.
April 23, 2024
By Amber Friedrichsen
