Using hay bales as a supplement for your cattle is a time-tested approach that many producers rely on. It’s often more affordable than other feed options, making it an attractive choice for keeping costs down. However, not all hay is created equal—factors like how it was harvested and stored and even the type of forage used can significantly affect its nutritional value. Just because a bale looks good on the outside doesn’t mean it’s providing the nutrients your herd needs. A closer look at what you’re getting can make a big difference in the long run.
One of the most common mistakes people make when buying hay is focusing solely on the upfront cost. While getting the cheapest bale might seem like a good deal, it’s important to consider how much nutrition your cattle are actually getting per dollar spent. If a bale has lower protein or energy levels, you’ll need to feed more of it to meet your herd’s needs, which can drive up costs quickly. Instead of just looking at price per bale, break it down into the cost per unit of protein or energy. This way, you’ll better understand whether you’re getting real value for your money.
Just like with any other feedstuff, comparing hay on a per-unit basis helps you make a fair and informed decision. Two bales that seem identical in price could have very different nutritional values, meaning one could end up costing you more in the long run. Running the numbers may take a little extra effort, but it allows you to compare options accurately—kind of like comparing the price per ounce at the grocery store rather than just grabbing the biggest package. By breaking things down, you’ll be able to choose the most cost-effective hay for your operation while ensuring your cattle are getting the nutrients they need.
What Affects Hay Quality?
The first factor that can affect the quality of your potential hay bale is how it was baled. The bale will need to be baled tight to keep it at a high quality. If it were baled loose, that would allow moisture to get to the inside and diminish the overall quality. It is possible to test whether a producer correctly did a bale by pressing on it. There was not enough tension in the bale if you could press down more than 1/2 inch.
Bale storage will also affect the amount of Dry Matter in the bale. Proper 
storage will allow moisture to get inside bales. Depending on how a producer stored the bale, the loss of DM could vary between 10% and 50%.
The age of the bale and the forage’s growth stage will also determine the amount of dry matter available for your animals. If the hay bale has been in storage for a long time, you will lose critical nutrients. I probably do not have to tell you, but bales made from more mature forages will also not provide all the nutrients.
If you want to learn more about how storage can affect the quality of your hay bale, check out my previous post, “5 rules for proper hay storage”.
Understanding Dry Matter: A Key to Feed Efficiency
Dry matter refers to everything in a feed except for water, and it’s one of the most important factors to consider when evaluating hay or any other forage. Since moisture doesn’t provide any nutritional value, the more water a feed contains, the more your cattle will have to eat to get the nutrients they need. For example, suppose a bale of hay has a high moisture content. In that case, your animals may need to consume nearly twice as much to get the same amount of protein or energy they’d get from a drier bale. This difference is why understanding dry matter content is so important—it directly impacts both feed efficiency and cost.
All of the essential nutrients in a feed—protein, minerals, fiber, and energy—are found in the dry matter portion. This means that when you evaluate hay or other forages, you’re really looking at the nutrients in the dry matter rather than the total weight of the bale. A 1,000-pound hay bale with 85% dry matter has more usable nutrients than a 1,000-pound bale with only 75% dry matter, even though they weigh the same. That extra moisture dilutes the nutritional value, making it less efficient for your herd. By focusing on dry matter content, you can ensure that you’re getting the most out of the feed you purchase.
How to test
Testing your hay for dry matter percentage can help you make smarter feeding decisions. Most lab reports will show both “as-fed” values (which include moisture) and dry matter values. This will give you a clearer picture of what you’re actually providing to your cattle. Suppose you’re unsure about how to collect a hay sample. In that case, your local extension office can provide guidance and even recommend a reliable testing facility. Taking the time to understand dry matter and its impact on nutrition can save you money in the long run and keep your cattle healthier. It’s a simple but valuable tool that every producer should use when planning their feeding program.
The type of feedstuff you want to test will determine how you will collect the sample. To collect the sample from a hay bale, you will want to collect it from the core of the bale. If you are not sure how to do this, you can check an article from the University of Idaho titled ‘Hay sampling techniques’. Once you have collected the sample, you must send it to a lab. Your local county extension office should be able to give you the name of a place to use. When you get the lab results back, they will be divided into two categories: as-fed and Dry Matter.
Once you have collected the sample, you must send it to a lab. Your local county extension office should be able to give you the name of a place to use.
When you get the lab results back, they will be divided into two categories: as-fed and Dry Matter.
- As-Fed Basis – Includes moisture content (not ideal for comparisons).
- Dry Matter Basis – This tells you the nutrient content with removed water.
Breaking Down the Cost of a Hay Bale
Once you have the information from the lab, you can look at the price per unit of either protein or energy on a dry matter basis. Once you have it down to those units, you can compare it to other supplements to determine the most economical option for you. I encourage you to apply this knowledge to your own feed management and see the cost savings and nutritional benefits it can bring to your operation.
For this example, I took the information from the USDA Hay Report. Updated weekly, it’s an excellent way to find out what hay is selling for in your area. The report for Central Texas shows that Good to Premium hay is going for $125- $140 per roll and has a Crude Protein of 9%- 13%. For the purpose of this example, I will split the difference and use $130 per roll with 11% CP. Typically, a hay bale will have a dry matter percentage of 90%-80%, so we will use 85%.
Protein
We will first want to break this down to cost per unit of dry matter. The formula we can use to determine this is Cost of feed/% Dry Matter (as a decimal)= Cost per Unit of Dry Matter.
The formula will be 130/85 = 152.94, which is $152.94 per ton of dry matter.
To determine the cost per unit of protein, we will use the formula Cost per unit of dry matter/% Protein (as a decimal)= Cost per unit of protein.
So the formula will be $153 (I rounded up)/ .11 =$1,390.90 per ton of protein. To calculate the cost per pound, divide this number by 2,000 to calculate $0.70 per pound.
Energy
Even though most people supplement energy with hay bales instead of protein, it is okay. We can still use the same formula to find the answer we want. We replace % Crude protein with the % TDN to get the energy per unit.
Since we already have the cost per unit of dry matter, we will not have to do that formula again. We can go ahead with the second one. Coastal Bermuda grass can be 65%—55% TDN for young cutting, depending on the production stage. As the year goes on, it drops to 40% —45% for the more mature variety. I will use 55% for this example since it seems more in the middle.
The formula will be $153/. 55 = $278.18 per ton of energy. We can divide this by 2,000 to reduce it further and get $0.14 per pound of TDN.
While doing it this way may take a little more effort, it is helpful. Evaluating the feedstuffs on a cost-per-unit basis is beneficial to everyone. The producer can develop a ration that will provide the nutrients without breaking the bank. Also the seller can be sure that the price they are asking is fair.
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