hay mature or moldy

Question

hay   hello ma'am, which of the two hays in these pictures are mature and moldy? first or the second?

Answer
Hello Rohit,

Thank you for your question.  It is very difficult to determine from the photo if either of the forages has mold, and even maturity can be hard to visually determine.  Both appear to be free from obvious mold but closer visual inspection is probably best.  The leaves and stems of grass in both photos appear to be of the same maturity.  The only real visual difference between the two appears to be the color.  The hay on photo 1 appears to be more sun bleached than that in photo 2, suggesting that the first forage sat longer on the ground before baled or collected.  The more time the plant spends on the ground respiring, the more non-structural carbohydrate is leached and the less nutrient dense it becomes.  If I had my choice of hays from the 2 pictures provided, I would choose the forage 2.  Although in all reality, I would like a forage analysis of both before I used either.  The only true determination of maturity and nutrient value is from a lab analysis.  Looks can be deceiving, in hay as in life.

Thanks, Corlena