Timothy and Alfalfa Hay Blog

The next few weeks will see the end to both Alfalfa and Timothy hay harvest seasons. Both crops were heavily affected by the numerous rain showers that fell over the course of the summer and early fall. Our staff will be working very hard to support our customers to the best of our abilities and we appreciate the strong teamwork of our business partners to provide the best results possible.

Once again, rain has challenged the harvest last week through much of the Western United States. The majority of areas where rain fell were hit more than once. Growers stopped harvesting or delayed the start to avoid the showers. The actual damage to hay varied widely depending on the area. As Oregon Alfalfa was between cuttings, the hay received little damage. Very few fields had just begun to cut their fields. Meanwhile, the Pacific Southwest sustained more damage across a wide area. During the long harvest season, Sudan and Alfalfa harvest is almost continual. 

Washington growers have begun swathing 1^st cutting Timothy. The Columbia Basin Timothy harvest is slightly ahead of that in the Kittitas Valley. The weather has been good thus far allowing growers to move swiftly through harvest activities. Most areas across both the basin and the valley will be cutting through the weekend. 

Alfalfa hay harvest is now in full swing.But how does the producer know when to cut their alfalfa to yield the best quality hay?  A producer with years of experience under their belt can probably take a look at his field and determine if it is ready to cut. A practical method that requires just a few measurements was developed by agronomists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1).

 Earlier this month the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its annual hay report. The contents of the publication stunned many in the hay industry. Though widely accepted that hay supplies would be stressed this year, the estimates for loss of hay acreage and tonnage are much higher than expected. It appears that 2011 hay production will not only be lower than 2010, but carry over into May 2012 will also be shorter than last year.

The wet and cool summer continues to cause problems for Columbia Basin Alfalfa hay growers. The unpredictable weather has produced rain and heavy dews across much of the area. The difficult conditions will result in lower tons of Premium 2nd Cutting Alfalfa.