Still, high-quality hay always sells for a premium price and costs no more to produce than poor-quality hay, making quality a worthwhile focus for producers. In addition to this, her recent trip to central Illinois and northeast Missouri highlighted the delays in the first alfalfa cutting, with some fields blooming before being able to accomplish their first hay cutting due to the rainy nature of the spring season in the Midwest. While on this trip, she also spoke with producers who have noticed the prevalence of weed pressure from buttercups in overgrazed pastures and encouraged them to be proactive in weed control and adopt adequate rotational grazing techniques. Finally, amid hay season, Friedrichsen discussed the benefits of tedding, noting it can be more beneficial for grass hay than alfalfa, which can suffer leaf loss. Tedding can provide a faster dry time, allowing grass hay to be brought to the top of the pile, creating a larger surface area to help dry hay faster, which can cut dry times down by a day. While forage management is highly situational, success depends on timing, local weather, and maximizing quality through early, well-managed cutting.
