Rain delays brome harvest

This is the time of year when motorists driving through Jackson County are likely to see large round bales of hay dotting pastures on either side of the highway, but rainfall received in Jackson County through late spring and early summer has put a damper on the brome hay harvest in the county.

Last week, Meadowlark District Extension Agent David Hallauer estimated that the brome hay harvest in Jackson County — recognized as “the brome hay capital of Kansas” — is less than 25 percent complete.

“I’d really like to see a lot more put up — for numerous reasons — but the harvest window that would have allowed it to get up without getting wet has been pretty tight,” Hallauer said. “Some guys hit it hard last week and used a warm and windy day to ‘make hay while the sun shines,’ but it seemed to be kind of just a start for most growers.”

But with a hot, dry forecast in the offing for this week, it’s likely that more of the big round brome bales will be seen on the county’s pastures.

“I know some guys have started,” Hallauer said.

Brome, which reportedly covers more than a quarter of Jackson County’s landmass, is a type of tall grass that is used mainly in feeding livestock, since it is high in protein content and relatively low in crude fiber content, and it is compatible with alfalfa or other legumes. The grass provides excellent quality hay when properly managed, it has been reported.

To read the rest of the article, please subscribe to The Holton Recorder.