We colour code our hay bales with different coloured baling twine, using the following system

Pink (Lucerne A) = Premium Lucerne. Typically from a dryland paddock, and >99% pure. Made during hot, dry, breezy weather with light to no dew for fast drying, minimal bleaching, and at least 1 less raking, which reduces leaf loss.

Yellow (Lucerne B) = Dryland lucerne. This is our typical lucerne hay. Quality is good, but not as pure as they make over the mountains as we have higher rainfall, which means more grasses growing amongst the lucerne, and being 50km from the coast, we have heavier dews, which can lead to slight discolouration, though does not affect the nutritional quality.

Blue (Pasture A) = Irrigated lucerne (or lucerne after a heavy rain period). Typically will have more grasses in it, such as clover, rye grass, prairie grass depending on the time of year.

Orange (Pasture B) = Pretty average hay. Might have a few weeds, or maybe we had trouble drying it, but still good enough to bale rather that wrap up for silage

Grain Silage - Silage typically made using crops Sorghum, Millet or Oats and weigh around 450kg

Grass Silage - Made from lucerne/grass pastures and weigh around 325kg

Please note, we are not aware of anyone else using this system, so don’t judge their hay based on this.