Equine Hay
Belle Grey is committed to producing high quality hay and has taken years to make our hay pasture thick and vigorous through annual and perennial seeding, lime and fertilizing. Our most important consideration is the quantity of available and digestible nutrients stored in our hay and the level of animal performance that will result from feeding those nutrients. There is an art to making hay, read our philosophy to find out more.
Hay
All baled hay is immediately picked up in the field and barn stored.
1st Cut May 2011 – $450 ton
Alfalfa 2010 - $500 ton
Contact
For pick-up or delivery, email admin@bellegreyfarm.com
Delivery
Delivery is available for a fee and includes unloading and stacking in reasonable ground level access and/or on a customer supplied hay elevator in a loft only. Unloading hay in an upper level hayloft without a customer supplied hay elevator or in any area deemed unreasonable will result in the hay being delivered on ground level nearest the customer designated area.
Payment
Cash or Personal Check on Delivery or Visa/MC via PayPal prior to delivery.
Pick-up
Pick up at our barn is by appointment only.
Hay Pick up Rules
- Upon entering Belle Grey Farm, the customer agrees that Belle Grey Farm shall not be held responsible for any accident or injury occurring on the premises.
- No children are allowed in the barn, on the hay stacks, or in the wagons.
- The hay stacks are not stable. Please be careful when on or near them.
General Hay Information
Producing Forage
Hay quality is a measure of two important factors, intake and digestibility. Poor-quality hay is high in fiber and animals tend to eat less. The high fiber forage causes a slow rate of digestion. Whereas good-quality hay is readily consumed and quickly digested, and results in more efficient energy production.
Factors that can influence hay quality include: plant species, plant variety, weeds, insect damage, diseases, weather at harvest, and harvesting techniques. However, it may surprise you to know that hay quality is most likely to be affected by two additional factors, fertilization and stage of maturity at harvest. We at Belle Grey monitor our hay throughout the year to check on this living ever changing tapestry of life. By inspecting our grasses and legumes we can plan for the next years seeding map, seed varieties and fertilizing.
Cutting Hay
It may surprise you that even with all the planning, seeding and fertilizing, timing remains the single most important factor influencing hay quality. The stage of maturity at harvest influences the palatability, crude protein content, and the digestible energy level. Cutting hay past the recommended stage results in increased fiber content and a decrease in palatability and digestibility.
Through research and trial and error, we have determined that best time to harvest for a good yield as well as high energy and crude protein levels is in the early bloom stage for legumes and in the boot stage in grasses, just prior to seed head emergence.
So why do people wait you may ask your self? Waiting until later will generally increase the number of bales or tons of hay produced but at a big cost to the nutritive value. In addition, this low quality high fiber hay requires more fuel, time, and labor to store and only serves to decrease animal performance. Belle Grey wants the best for our horses and for yours, by sacrificing quantity and cutting at the exact perfect time, we are able to offer a superior equine product with increased nutrients and palatability.
Raking Hay
If we could rake it all by hand, we would. Raking is best done with great care because this is the greatest source of leaf loss during harvest. Hay is always raked in the same direction as it was mowed and in the late morning just before the dew has completely dried in order to minimize leaf shatter.
Windrows should not be too thick as they reduce the amount of hay exposed to the air causing wet spots. Narrow, thick windrows will not dry as rapidly as wide, thin ones.
Baling Hay
Baling is the final step in production. We at Belle Grey call this our Zen Day because the goal is to progress at a slow enough speed that the hay will be cleanly and evenly fed into the baler so as to keep the density, size and shape of bales relatively constant as this aids in storage and handling. Here the fable does hold true insofar the Turtle does truly beat the Hare.
Additional Information
- For more information about forage management, contact your county Extension office.
- Grass Productivity by Andre Voisin
- Greener Pasture on Your Side of the Fence: Better Farming Voisin Management-Intensive Grazing by Bill Murphy
- Southern Forages by D. M. Bell, C. S. Hoveland and G. D. Lacefield
- Dollars and Sense Hay Production by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station