Other important factors include forage type, harvesting date, and weather condition. Weather conditions will dictate both harvesting method and forage quality. Working around weather conditions, which none of us have the ability to control, provides the opportunity to select alternative harvesting techniques. Basically it takes the same amount of time, harvesting equipment, and facilities to harvest good quality forage compared to poor quality forage, which often requires supplementation when we are formulating rations for feeding. Stage of maturity dictates the quality of the forage.
Wheat matures rapidly after it reaches the boot stage.
In a matter of a few days the quality of wheat for forage will drop drastically. Compared to wheat the nutritional quality of other forages will diminish slower as the maturity process continues, however there is a reduction in nutritional quality. Harvesting as balage is one alternative that is frequently overlooked. The moisture content of forage harvested as balage needs to be considerably higher compared to forage harvested as hay. It is often difficult to complete the latter portion of the drying process.