The nutritional value and yield of pasture are two important factors in determining the harvest time of pasture. The first goal of forage harvesting is to maximize the feed production per hectare of land to meet the nutritional needs of livestock; the second goal is to harvest the most quality pasture. Harvest time is determined by how to obtain the highest yield and best quality. When harvesting pastures, the most important factor affecting grass quality is the current growth and development stage of pasture. With the increase of pasture maturity, the quality of forage grasses gradually declined. With the declining quality of forage grass, the daily grass consumption of livestock is also declining. As a result, the feed intake of animal nutrients is further reduced. This is most important for the production of lactating cows, growing calves and fattening cattle. Grassgrass should be harvested at the time of heading or shortly after heading. Legumes should be harvested at 10% budding to achieve the highest total digestible nutrients per unit of land. Early harvesting can also extend the time for pasture regeneration for re-harvest or grazing. The loss of nutrients after forage harvesting may significantly affect the final quality of pasture. Too much precipitation, light and too much drying can cause degradation of pasture quality. In the production of hay, the harvesting equipment chosen is the main factor that affects the loss of leaves during harvest. Windrowers or mower-crushers are the most suitable harvesting equipment. Using a hay dryer, the stems and leaves of the grass can be dried evenly and neatly. This will not only reduce the drying time of pasture, but also reduce the loss of pasture drying. Too much dried grass has very large losses of leaves during picking or harvesting. The proportion of digestible nutrients in the hay leaves is high, and the crude protein content of the leaves is 2-3 times higher than that of the crude protein in the hay. The composition of the fiber is only one third to one quarter of the stem. When handling dry hay, the loss of dry matter is caused by the loss of leaves. The leaf loss caused by the various baling systems that are commonly used is basically the same, although larger bales that are more compacted should be dried slightly, but should be kept as much as possible without affecting the quality of bales. Bale moisture to reduce the loss of nutrients in the leaves. Compacted bales can be stacked to reduce the exposed area and prevent moisture penetration. For all baling systems, the value of pasture saved through rain protection is sufficient to offset the added cost. Of course, the most reliable form of bale protection is the haystack. The loss of loosely stacked haystacks is much higher than that of the baling system, and if the top of the haystacks is rounded, it can effectively prevent the degradation of hay nutrient quality. Too much moisture at the hay harvest can cause loss of mildew and increased temperature. Mildew can cause dry matter to be lost as heat.
