Watch for mold in this season’s first-cutting hay, say forage specialists from around the country. Mold in hay can cause dry-matter and total digestible nutrient (TDN) losses, spontaneous combustion and hay fires and may produce mycotoxins that can, among other things, reduce animal intake and growth.

"There is a lot of moldy hay due to poor haymaking conditions across North America on first cutting," says Dan Undersander, extension forage agronomist with the University of Wisconsin. He and colleagues have written a fact sheet outlining what to do to prevent moldy hay, including using preservatives and carefully watching field and storage management.

Click here to download the pdf.