Buying Hay
Published: Friday, July 9, 2021
We have only bought hay a handful of times since we started making our own 13 years ago.
This year I may not have a choice as my first cutting was damaged when it froze several times and because of a severe spring drought here in southwestern Michigan. Both acts of Mother Nature caused my fields to be stunted in growth and to turn yellow.
Over the years we have become known for making our hay early and for having very tender, palatable first cutting. For this reason, we are constantly asked if we have any hay to sell. When we have an abundance (some years we do) I sell some, otherwise I keep most of it.
But this year when Memorial Day passed and we had only cut and baled half of our acreage (about six acres) and got just 110 square bales (when it should have been more like 300), I told my partner, Dennis, that we might have to buy hay.
But I talk a big story. I hate buying hay. Not because of the price, but because of the not really knowing what's in it.
My biggest fear is getting hay with hoary alyssum. While this weed is common in pastures—horses, unless starving, will not normally eat it. However, when dried in hay, it is extremely hard for a horse to pick out. Large quantities of hoary alyssum (over 35 percent) can cause horses to founder.
Other problematic weeds are nightshade, and poison hemlock; both are toxic to horses. Foxtail is another weed which can cause horrible inflammation to a horse's mouth.
And there are other weeds I don't want in my hay because we spread manure and thus would end up spreading seeds. These include curly dock, burdock, horse nettle and thistle. However, at least you can see these weeds in the hay—making it fairly easy to pick them out when you feed.
The best way to know what you're getting in your hay is to see the field before it's cut. Because the truth is: even the weediest fields look surprisingly good once they're baled.
Here are some tips for spotting problematic weeds:
• Hoary alyssum thrives in sandy soil. It produces a white flower that starts to bloom in June and continues until early August.
• Curly dock puts up a big seed head which ends up drying dark brown and has hundreds of seeds in a seed head.
• Thistle usually comes in by July and produces a large purple flower.
• Horse nettle also thrives during the second cutting of hay time frame—first emerging in July with a small whiteish/purple flower and then making round green/yellow seed pods (later in August).
• Look for nightshade (dark purple/black berries are a telltale sign), and hemlock (large bushy white flowers) growing in heavier soil and low/wooded areas.
• Foxtail (looks like grass when immature) but is generally a lighter green than hay grasses and produces a soft/hairy seed head in mid to later summer.
This Michigan State University Extension Bulletin is helpful in identifying weeds you don't want in your hay: Toxic Plants of Concern in Pastures and Hay for Michigan Horses (E3060).
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