In more recent years, fresh wet spring grass was packed green into
pits and made into silage where a controlled anaerobic fermentation
retained its nutritional content much like sauerkraut keeps cabbage.
Silage makes drying unnecessary. These days, farm labor is expensive
and tractors are relatively inexpensive. It seems that grass hay
must be cut later when the weather is more stable, economically
dried on the ground, prevented from molding by frequent raking, and
then baled mechanically.

In regions enjoying relatively rainless springs or where agriculture
depends on irrigation, this system may result in quality hay. But
most modern farmers must supplement the low-quality hay with oil
cakes or other concentrates. Where I live, springs are cool and damp
and the weather may not stabilize until mid-June. By this date grass
seed is already formed and beginning to dry down. This means our
local grass hay is very low in protein, has a high C/N, and is very
woody--little better than wheat straw. Pity the poor horses and
cattle that must try to extract enough nutrition from this stuff.

Western Oregon weather conditions also mean that farmers often end
up with rain-spoiled hay they are happy to sell cheaply. Many years
I've made huge compost piles largely from this kind of hay. One
serious liability from cutting grass hay late is that it will
contain viable seeds. If the composting process does not thoroughly
heat all of these seeds, the compost will sprout grass all over the
garden. One last difficulty with poor quality grass hay: the tough,
woody stems are reluctant to absorb moisture.

The best way to simultaneously overcome all of these liabilities is
first to permit the bales to thoroughly spoil and become moldy