Is hay a planted crop?

Is hay a planted crop?

Hay is basically dried vegetation: usually a legume such as alfalfa or clover, or a grass such as timothy or brome. It’s one crop that can be raised with proper care in any part of the country where weeds will grow, and it’s a must for any self-sufficient farmer who keeps livestock.

Is hay a vegetable?

Hay is grass that has been cut while it is still green and full of nutrients, but before it has gone to seed. The highest quality hay will have few to no seeds, but some are inevitable. Farmers use hay to feed livestock. Straw is the stalk that is left over after a grain, like barley, has been harvested.

Does hay come from a plant stem?

Hay will often be a mixture of plants and are produced on perennial crops, and lands that would not be productive for growing other things. Hay is typically harvested before the plants make seed and are just growing leaves. These leaves are packed with nutrients and are easy for an animal to digest.

What plant is straw?

Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat.

What is hay in agriculture?

hay, in agriculture, dried grasses and other foliage used as animal feed. Usually the material is cut in the field while still green and then either dried in the field or mechanically dried by forced hot air. Typical hay crops are timothy, alfalfa, and clover.

Is hay a grass?

Hay is a grass that has been cut, dried, and stored for animal feed. Hay is made from the stems, leaves, and seed heads of plants that are fresh. It is cut and baled when it has the most nutritional value, and is fed to livestock.

Is hay a wheat?

Straw and hay both begin life the same way—as a field crop. The word ‘hay’ refers to the entire harvested plant, including the seed heads. But cereal crops like wheat, oats and barley are sometimes grown for animal feed as well as human consumption. When the plants are left intact and bundled up, it’s hay.

What kind of grass is hay?

Composition. Commonly used plants for hay include mixtures of grasses such as ryegrass (Lolium species), timothy, brome, fescue, Bermuda grass, orchard grass, and other species, depending on region. Hay may also include legumes, such as alfalfa (lucerne) and clovers (red, white and subterranean).

Is hay a straw?

So what is the difference? Hay is dried grass. No more, no less but grass has a good nutritional content and is an important dietary component in several pets’ diets. Straw is the dried stalks of crops such as wheat or barley and has a limited nutritional value but is used in small amounts as roughage for some pets.

What’s difference between straw and hay?

Hay is a crop that is grown and harvested as a feed crop for cattle, horses and other farm animals. Straw on the other hand is a byproduct of a grain crop; in our area it’s usually usually wheat straw that we see. Straw on the other hand, is much better for use as a garden mulch.

What is hay forage?

Hay comes from two main growing sources, Legumes and Grasses. A third type is from grain, commonly called straw, but can be used as a forage if cut young and before the grain is harvested. Hay from grasses contains less calories (energy) and a lower protein amount, usually 6% to 10%.

How is hay planted?

Today, the process for growing hay still involves letting the plants grow to maturity, then cutting it, letting it dry in the sun, raking it, and gathering it up in some form, whether that be round or square bales, or as loose hay.

Which is the best hay to grow for livestock?

Depending on your needs, plant grass, alfalfa, or a mixture of the 2 for use as hay after growing. Grass hay is generally more nutritious than alfalfa hay for livestock, but alfalfa has more fiber. If you choose grass hay, timothy grass is ideal for growing and harvesting hay. 2

What kind of plants were used to make hay?

Many different plants have been used throughout history to feed animals. The first farmers on the prairie would cut the prairie grasses and use them to feed their livestock. Timothy grass and clover, both plants native to Europe, were the most common plants used for hay in the early 20th century.

What’s the difference between grass and alfalfa hay?

Typically, hay is made from either grass or alfalfa. Depending on your needs, plant grass, alfalfa, or a mixture of the 2 for use as hay after growing. Grass hay is generally more nutritious than alfalfa hay for livestock, but alfalfa has more fiber.

What kind of animals eat hay on a farm?

Almost any animal on the farm – horses, cattle, sheep, goats, etc.- will eat hay. Hay is usually fed to livestock when they cannot graze or be in a pasture, either because it is winter or because of drought. Different animals have different nutritional requirements.