Texas forage producers look to make top hay

By MANDY SPIKES | Central Texas Edition

Brent Bean gives his views on silage production during the 2003 TFGC annual meeting, which took place Dec. 4-5. -Staff photo by Spikes

December 11, 2003 -- Production of good quality hay relies not only on how the land and environment works with the type of hay being grown, but how a hay producer cares for the crop. Staying educated on the latest techniques and equipment for hay production is an important part of growing a good hay crop.

Hay producers from all around Texas gathered in Stephenville Dec. 4-5 for the 2003 State Hay Show and the Texas Forage and Grassland Council's annual meeting. Brent Bean, Extension agronomist in Amarillo, discussed silage production, and Rod Reed, Extension agronomist in San Angelo, discussed bermudagrass variety selection.

"Many hay producers know the quality of hay they grow," Bean stated. "What they might not know is the full potential of what that hay should be." He explained that the quality parameters are based on the crude protein of the hay and the net energy.

"We call it crude protein because it's an estimate based on the nitrogen amount. It's not an exact measurement, hence the term crude. Net energy is the carbohydrate part of the plant."

Bean elaborated on the net energy amount to say that there are structural and nonstructural carbohydrates. The structural is the fiber part such as cellulose and lignin. Nonstructural, or the non-fiber parts, are the sugars.

"When you measure the intake of fiber, you are looking at the neutral detergent fiber, or the amount of fiber that is highly digestible. You want this number to be lower."

He also discussed the acid detergent fiber. "The lower this value is, the higher digestibility the hay has." The least desirable component in looking at the net energy is the lignin number.

"The total digestible nutrient is the traditional measure of energy content. Just know that the acid detergent fiber amount is the primary factor affecting the total digestible nutrient amount."

The best number to look at when looking at digestibility, Bean said, is the in-vitro true digestibility. "This is the best value for comparing forage quality."

Bean stated that there are three categories of sorghum. These are forage sorghums, sorghum-sudangrass, and sudangrass. "The purpose of using the sorghum will determine the category you should grow on your field."

"We are seeing very encouraging things happening with seeded bermudagrass in Texas," began Reed.

The reasons he gave for the recent interest in seeded bermudagrass included lower cost, it works on sites not suited to sprigging, and it works on small acreages.

"The types of bermudagrass includes forages such as Tifton 85, Coastal, Texas Touch, Wrangler, and Giant. You can also find turf bermudagrass like Blackjack, Pyramid, and Mirage. There are several varieties of bermudagrass to choose from, as well as a lot of hybrids."

A question that has been brought up in the past is 'how do the plants grow after they have been on the land for awhile', Reed explained. "That's what we are looking into now for future data. Hopefully, we will be able to answer that question in a few years."

He stressed that the difference in environment is important when dealing with production. "Higher rainfall areas have different production dates than other areas."

Some of the things hay producers need to consider when deciding the type of bermudagrass to use is water management and weed control, Reed said.