The warmer weather is really advancing this year's hay crop.
Crop maturity is advancing quickly with some alfalfa fields already in full flower.
Livestock and feed extension specialist Dwayne Summach says this year the hay crops coming in in a hurry.
He says if you're using it for beef cattle ideally you want to cut it at 10 to 15 per cent flower, and since some fields are well past that it is definitely time to get out there and cut it.
"We're gonna cut it and we're gonna have to let it wilt and dry down. That's gonna take probably two and a half to three days minimum for it to cure up. We've got to lose enough moisture from the plants that they will store safely. If you're looking to chop it for silage, that's going to be a process that can happen pretty quick this year, that could take less than 12 hours actually wilt time."
From what he's observing, there's going to be hay crop that's going to be a little bit below normal yield, and then there's going to be quite a few fields in the West Central region that are going to be well below normal.
Summach says the crop has advanced quickly with some areas getting one or two cuts, while others will be lucky to see one hay cut.
"Moisture limitations are going to limit the amount of plant growth that there is to harvest. There will be fields that guys will probably just turn cows into instead of cutting because it'll be so short."
There are also scattered reports of alfalfa weevil activity.
He notes that the weevils can strip a lot of leaves of an alfalfa crop in a hurry, so it's best to get that hay crop cut as soon as possible.
"With how the hay crop is advancing, probably the best way to mitigate weevil damage is to just go ahead and harvest the hay. The weevils themselves will get damaged through the mechanical harvest. So that's kind of the best option at this point in the cycle."
Summach says probably the best way to mitigate weevil damage is just to go ahead and harvest the hay as the weevils will get damaged through the mechanical process of the harvest.