These costs of improper storage can be dramatic and will be described in this manuscript. Discussion Losses in the hay making and feeding process are unavoidable, but they can be minimized. The highest quality, most digestible parts of the forage plant are water- soluble. Some of the nutrients in forage are lost during the drying process, but greater losses usually occur during storage. Also, there are a certain amount of feeding losses, that can range from minor to severe.
Water is an enemy of hay quality.
Water, in the form of rain, will soak into an exposed hay bale and high quality, water-soluble nutrients, will be lost. The more water moving through the bale, the greater the nutrient losses. High quality hays are those higher in water soluble nutrients, hence the higher the quality of hay, the more nutrients that can be lost. At the same time, the areas of the country bermudagrass is grown in tends to be high rainfall and thus, still subject to rather large hay losses. Unfortunately, many producers spend considerable time, effort, and money in putting plastic covers over their hay to protect it from the rain, but have the hay still in direct contact with the ground.