ORONO — Many livestock and equine owners in Maine purchase all of their hay and forage needs for winter. While this year’s growing season started out well, forage growth was reduced because of low rainfall in most of the state, especially for second and third hay cuttings.
According to University of Maine Cooperative Extension professor Rick Kersbergen, now is the time for livestock owners to assess what they have for feed, the number of animals they will be feeding, and what they will need for the next six to seven months. Kersbergen advises against waiting until winter to source forage in the midst of a shortage, according to a news release from the extension office.
UMaine Extension maintains a regularly updated interactive hay directory at extension.umaine.edu to help locate forage sources. Additional resources include how to determine the amount of forage needed and how to test the quality of forage also can be found at extension.umaine.edu.
For more information, contact Kersbergen at 207-342-5971 or richard.kersbergen@maine.edu.
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