Cow-Calf Corner: Questions To Ask BEFORE Buying Hay

Dec 28, 2022

By Mark Z. Johnson

Winter is coming and hay inventories are low. Given the current situation it can come as a relief to just find hay to purchase. In 2022 many of us in Oklahoma find ourselves making hay purchases from out of state that are not the typical harvested forages we use in Oklahoma. Regardless of the hay source you are considering, ask the following questions and consider the following before making purchases:

Ask for a FEED ANALYSIS REPORT of the hay before you agree to buy and consider the moisture, protein, energy and relative feed value of what you are purchasing. Also consider the nitrate levels if you are purchasing sorghum hay.
Purchase by the ton, not by the bale. In a drought year like 2022, there will be hay on the market from roadsides and abandoned fields. Some bales of low density depending on baler settings. In order to get what you are paying for base purchases on tonnage. All hay bales are not of equal weight or quality.
Ask how the hay has been stored. In a barn = less spoilage, stacked in rows on pallets is better than stacked on the ground.
Ask what type of wrap is on bales. Net wrap results in less spoilage than twine wrap.

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Video: What Drives Profitability in Farrowing? - Dr. Daniel Gascho

In this special episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, marking World Veterinary Day, we welcome Dr. Daniel Gascho, swine production veterinarian and partner at Four Star Veterinary Service. He discusses how farrowing decisions must align with each farm's business model, why labor execution defines protocol outcomes, and how PRRS strategies should be tailored to each operation's health status and market position. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Protocols are only as strong as the labor that executes them, and that final step is what separates a plan on paper from results in the barn."

Meet the guest: Dr. Daniel Gascho / daniel-gascho-4a1bbb242 is a swine production medicine veterinarian and partner at Four Star Veterinary Service, based in Indiana. He focuses on individualized health strategies, vaccination planning, biosecurity, and practical protocol implementation across farrowing, nursery, and grow-finish systems.