From: Laine
Dear Jessica, I was brought up with horses and we always fed them grass hay (we lived in Florida). When I married a cowboy I discovered that Western horses pretty much lived off alfalfa hay all the time, and it took me a while to get used to that idea because I had always heard that alfalfa makes horses "hot" and that it isn't healthy hay for them. But I've been married five years now and we have a lot of horses and they all look great so I have come around to the whole alfalfa hay idea.
What I don't understand and my husband and his friends haven't explained so I can understand is the difference of the various alfalfa cuttings. For some reason everyone "just knows" that third cutting is best and first cutting and second cutting aren't good. But I'm the one who feeds the horses in the morning, and even when I know my husband is POd because we had to buy second cutting, I'm the one who feeds it and I can tell it's good hay. Also, the horses clean up every bit of it. Last year he brought in some third cutting alfalfa and I swear I couldn't tell that there was any difference, but I didn't want to admit that. Can you explain to me just exactly what the difference is with all the different cuttings and why my husband and his friends make such a fuss about third cutting alfalfa? I asked about first cutting once and they all said it was junk and full of trash, but then I was over at our one neighbor's place the day his family was stacking their first cutting alfalfa in the barn, and it looked almost exactly like our hay that we feed, and I didn't see any trash in it at all. It was soft and green and smelled great, just exactly like our hay in the barn at home (that would be third cutting AND the second cutting that my husband was so POd about). Help, this is so confusing. I want to learn but the answers I'm getting are all like "Everybody knows that" or "Third cutting is the best, first is all weeds, second is all stems" and since the answers don't match the hay in our barn, I don't think those answers are giving me any information. Thank you for your time and your good information. Laine
In different parts of the country, and even from one ranch to the next, you'll find people having animated discussions about which cutting is best. From your horses' point of view, the only thing that matters is whether the hay itself is good quality. It sounds as though all of the hay you've been buying IS good quality. When the horses eat it eagerly and look great, and when you can barely tell the difference between first and second and third cuttings, you're obviously getting good hay.
The "some cuttings are better than others" idea is based on some facts, but how much those facts MEAN will depend on your hay producer! The only thing you can be reasonably sure about is that, all other things being equal, there will be some differences in the protein content of different cuttings from the same alfalfa field. The difference won't necessarily be large or significant. ;-)
Just so that you'll feel more competent when alfalfa is the topic of discussion, here's a quick rundown on cuttings:
FIRST CUTTING alfalfa is just exactly what it sounds like: The first cutting of the year. It is likely to contain more weeds - and perhaps, if you're in a busy, windy area, more trash - than later cuttings. The weeds are there because they've had a chance to take hold during the winter and early spring - later in the summer, the alfalfa will be more dense and will crowd out the weeds, so there will be fewer weeds cut and baled with the hay. The trash - if any - is there because whatever trash has been blowing around during the winter and early spring will be caught by the stubble (in winter) and the growing plants (in the spring), and some or much or all of it will end up being baled with the hay. In some areas, this might mean a lot of plastic bags, paper debris, etc., in the first cutting from a specific field. In others, it might mean that a bit of corn stalk might appear in an occasional bale from a specific field. It sounds as if your hay is very clean, so I wouldn't worry about this if I were you. Some people think that first cutting alfalfa is less nutritious and more stemmy EVEN when it's clean, but the nutritional value and the size of the stems will really depend on when the alfalfa is cut. If you have a good hay supplier, you can see that the hay is clean, and the nutritional analysis shows you that it is also nutritious, there's no reason for you to avoid first-cutting alfalfa.
SECOND CUTTING is (surprise!) the second cutting of the year. This is usually very clean hay, but it can be less nutritious and more stemmy than later cuttings. The reason is simple: Second cutting is usually a summer cutting, and the hay has been grown in summer heat that typically produces more stem and fewer leaves. This doesn't mean that the hay is bad, it just means that it will be lower in protein. Here again, look at the nutritional analysis, because alfalfa with a "lower" protein content may just mean that it's "only" 16% protein... in other words, it may be lower than other cuttings, but it will easily meet your horses' needs.
THIRD CUTTING is - wait for it - the third cutting of the year. Third cutting is a favourite amongst horsemen because it's very rich (again, look at the nutritional analysis). Just as second cutting grows quickly in hot weather, third cutting tends to grow more slowly as the weather is generally cooler, and typically has more leaves and fewer, finer stems.
Sometimes a field will yield a fourth cutting as well, and this will tend to be similar to the third cutting in quality. Not all alfalfa fields are cut three or four times. Some are cut once, some twice - a lot depends on the farmer, the field, and the location. In some areas, horse farm owners determined to hold out for "third cutting" alfalfa might end up having to ship in their hay from somewhere else.
Care in baling, transport, and stacking can make a big difference to the quality of the hay your horses eventually eat. Hay that is baled a little bit late when it's a bit too dry, and is then handled roughly, can lose a lot of leaves by the time it is fed to your horses. This means that a good second cutting, well-handled, might be every bit as nutritious as a "better" third cutting that hadn't been handled quite as carefully.
Soft, green, leafy alfalfa is an attractive hay no matter which cutting is involved. Don't rely exclusively on which cutting you're getting. It's good to be aware of the differences and why they exist, but it's better to put your trust in the hay's nutritional analysis. And if you have a good hay supplier - which you apparently DO have - be very nice to him. He just might be your horses' best friend. ;-)
Jessica
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