Profitability in producing alfalfa hay is mostly a function of yield. However, to the animal that consumes hay, forage quality is very important, especially in high-producing dairy cows where intake may be limited. Four factors change as the harvest date is delayed: physical yield, forage quality, value per ton and harvest cost per acre.

Since the mid-1800s, there have been efforts to characterize the value of forage and predict its effects on animal production. Joe Burns defined this issue with, “The characteristic of a forage that composes its nutritive value (NVAL) and its consumption and conversion by the animal determines the quality of the nutrient entity and provides an estimate of its forage quality.”

Forage testing is done to estimate the intake and performance by livestock. Low-quality hay does not allow a high-producing animal to consume enough digestible energy to be highly productive.