Situation new hay harvest 2024 / News

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Because many customers have questions about the new harvest, we have created an update for you regarding the situation in Europe concerning hay.

Wet and cold weather affecting hay

Unfortunately, the wet and changeable weather across Northwest Europe continues. After a wet winter, it seems that spring and summer are destined for the same fate. What does the abundant rain mean for the production of roughage and ground cover? It will not surprise you that this is not an ideal situation. Due to the cold and wet spring, growth has not been optimal. Grass grows best at around 20 degrees, while we have had many days in spring with only 10-15 degrees. This year, hay will therefore be harvested 6-8 weeks later than last year, resulting in a larger volume of the first cut than last year. The quality of hay, on the other hand, is very variable. In many places, we see hay that has been made on very wet ground. This has several disadvantages for quality.

Amount of dust in hay

First of all, a wet ground causes a lot of dew at night, which seeps into the hay and makes it "wet" again. As a result, once the sun shines, a few hours of sunlight are lost to evaporate the moisture from the night. In short, drying hay takes longer, it needs to be turned more often, and all of this results in a loss of color, smell, and taste. Another disadvantage of the wet ground is that clumps of soil end up in the hay during turning, which detach in the soft ground. This sand becomes dust again once it is dry.

Regarding the first cut of meadow hay, we expect a lot of hay of mediocre quality to come onto the market. This makes it very difficult to find good batches. Therefore, when purchasing meadow hay, we advise being extra vigilant about color, smell, and dust. Also, ensure that you buy hay with a measured dry matter content. For small bales, we set a minimum of 80% dry matter and for large bales 85% dry matter. If this is less, there is a high chance of mold and heating in the hay.

Price development of hay

Many customers also ask about the expected price this year. We do not necessarily need to have too little hay; there may even be more than enough hay, but good hay will be scarcer. Compared to 2023, when almost all hay was made under dry warm conditions in May and June, we will have many different qualities this year. In 2023, we were still able to make a very nice third cut in late summer (August and September), which in hindsight was a valuable addition to the available batches. Theoretically, we can still get a second cut now, but it will have to come later, which is very difficult due to the shortening days, or the grass will have to be mowed less maturely, resulting in leafier grass with a smaller volume. Unfortunately, significantly less second cut will be made this year.

Another disadvantage for the price is the increased demand from other sectors. Although we do not have exact figures yet, we expect significant demand from the dairy industry. The corn harvest may be the worst in years, causing many farmers to look for alternative feeds to supplement their rations. Hay and straw will be an alternative for this, which unfortunately will also have a negative impact on the price.

Chance of low-sugar hay

Besides the price, many people also want to know how the sugar content in hay is this year. The first cut of 2023 was made during a very dry period, resulting in hay with low protein and high sugar. We do not yet have enough data on the first cut of 2024 to see if this is significantly better. However, we have good hope because the grass has had a better growing season. This should, in our opinion, result in more protein and less sugar. We will have to wait and see if this expectation is fulfilled.

Grass seed hay and meadow hay at the same time this year

Grass seed hay normally comes a little later than the first cut of meadow hay, but this year they are coming approximately at the same time. This gives us good hope for some good batches of grass seed hay. This harvest is starting now, so 1-2 weeks of dry weather would be very beneficial for quality. We have already received the first batch of field meadow from Denmark, and it looks beautiful!

For ground covers like wheat straw, it's a bit of a race against time, while it's already too late for meadow hay. With the ground covers, we still have a chance that it will turn out well, but it needs to stay dry in the regions where the straw is being pressed for the next 4-5 weeks. Hopefully, we can still salvage something there!

In short, it is a year with many challenges to produce beautiful products. The big advantage is that you are a customer at Hay to You; we ensure that you can choose from beautiful products all year round. A little spoiler: in the next 1-2 weeks, we expect to put many new batches online, so keep an eye on us! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook and be sure to sign up for the newsletter (at the bottom) on haytoyou.nl!