From: Brian L. Triplett, Ed.D. County Extension Agent – Agriculture & Natural Resources - Bowie County The cost of producing agricultural products seems to be always increasing. It is more important than ever to make wise decisions when buying inputs for your pastures and hay fields so that you accomplish your goals without spending more money than is necessary.
With hay season starting to wrap up, now is a good time to begin making plans for the 2026 forage year. Making hay is stressful on your soil. A ton of Bermudagrass hay removes approximately 50 pounds of Nitrogen, 14 pounds of Phosphorus, and 45 pounds of Potassium, along with lesser amounts of other nutrients. You must either fertilize adequately to meet your production goals, or have enough nutrients stored in the soil bank and available to the plants to make up the difference. When you cut hay from the land without fertilizing, you are withdrawing nutrients from the soil bank.
Without taking a representative soil test of your field, it is impossible to know accurately what is in the soil and what you need to apply to meet your production goals.
