colson04
Senior Member
When I was in my teens I had a friend much older than me, left US Forest Service career to dairy farm in Wisconsin. He was obsessed with protein levels of hay. Found that best availability, and price of top quality hay was in Canada. By 1976 he had bought three cab over IH road tractors & trailers, hired two drivers, and a herdsman. He turned his focus to importing hay. Offered me a job, but at the time CDL required you to be over 21. He talked at length about how much protein was lost if hay gets rained on before it is baled. These were dry, rectangular bales, hauled under tarp, and kept under roof.
As round bales took over, I wondered what the different handling practices did to the quality of the hay.
There is top notch hay made in all shapes and sizes these days all over the country, and mediocre/junk hay made right beside it. Biggest factor is cutting at the right stage of growth, and getting it put up and stored properly as soon as possible.