I just got a new feed hay customer

[Hay Dude]

I am advertising my hay as “natural” hay. I hear advertising as “organic” raises all kinda red flags (like you have to have it “certified”, no chemicals for X # of years, etc.)
My hay IS organic, but I don’t advertise as such….maybe I should.

I have found it’s well received by most customers, BUT it seems like they thing un-sprayed hay is going to be as clean as sprayed hay….NOPE. They are going to have to accept the weed content being higher.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Yeah, organic is a whole nother can of worms ... And organic would mean not only no herbicide, but don't think you could even use urea for fertilizer, maybe chicken/turkey clean outs, IF they are organic too, or cow manure from certified farms, not sure how there medical treatments if any would effect there dung ... ?

My fields were more than 50% weeds, including brambles ... So I reluctantly bought a PTO sprayer, and sprayed herbicide, it killed off the weeds for the spring 1st cutting, with a good dose of pelletized fertilizer to give the grasses a good boost to out grow any weeds ... But 2nd cutting had about 15% weeds!

Once you do the herbicide, your kinda stuck sticking to it if you want 100% grasses ... Then you gotta find a buyer with deep pockets!

 

[Hay Dude]

Each year, I have expanded my feed hay sales. Someday, I would like it to be 50% of my total hay sales, as selling mushroom hay is becoming less profitable with each passing year.
Problem is, the feed hay selling growth is slow. Earning people’s trust is a slow painstaking process. I have some good customers now and if these recent few I have gotten buy what they say they will, I’ll be in pretty good shape next year.

 

[zzvyb6]

Really?????? I can't imagine anyone soaking hay for a few days prior to feeding. Also can't imagine animals eating it. You know this how??

My friend boards her spensive horse at a training stable near Flint. The horse 'foundered' (hoof inflamation which usually leads to hoof delamination/separation). This 'process' is quite common I'm told. Their high end hay was coming in at 15-18% 'sugar'. You don't starve the horse for a few days, but keep buckets of hay 'mash' in the queue.

Right now there is a scramble to find 'Teff' hay (never heard of it before). Other types are timothy, bermuda, and orchard. Turns out that weather, cutting time, and maturity greatly affect sugar levels, and barns use slow feeders or soak hay to further reduce sugar intake for metabolic issues. Some feed alfalfa, but never a good idea for 'easy keepers' and non-working animals.

A few hay buyers have been asking for "Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC)" counts of my hay. Since I usually cut after noon (when the plants are putting out the highest levels it can be rejected. I traditionally sell 'baled weeds' which the animals love but buyers turn their noses up on because it doesn't look green, fluffy, and vegetarian approved.

Google "low sugar hay for horses" 'Soaking' is common here.