pretty much goes for square bales too. I feed round bales, but they come off my field so no problem with weeds. I bought some small squares that looked good, but then I found a bunch buried in the stack that were full of hoary alyssum so I had to dispose of those away from my pastures. Had another guy bring my a load of “orchard grass” that turned out to be full of foxtail. He claimed he didn’t notice it. I got rid of that load too… Finally after three years I have found the good reliable growers in this area so I can supplement my own hay with theirs and not worry!
when I lived in Western Washington I asked our local extension guy this question. His answer?.. Move 
That stuff stays in the soil for a loooonngg time. Even several months later, any manure that I used from grass eaten in that paddock would result in deformed tomato plants. I had to basically consider that paddock contaminated and never use manure from it again.
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We are feeding Teff hay from a ranch in New Mexico, never ever seen a weed in any bale as their program produces certified weed free hay
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Jealous!
I just found it is cheaper in the long run to be very careful in what hay we feed. After using round bales of questionable source since it was at a time when hay was very hard to get… those bales must have come form a highway right-away… it took three years to finally get rid of the weeds that were introduced.
Woah! I didn’t realize that. Good thing I haven’t added compost to my raised beds yet! That is really interesting, thank you for the link!
It’s nice to find a good producer!
I have 4 I can rely on here to provide good hay.
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Amen to that! I dealt with that mess for years and finally got it out of my garden. It came in from manure that my horses pooped after eating ( unbeknownst to me ) treated hay. I thought I was rid of it and last year it reared its ugly head again even though I stopped feeding that hay and stopped using compost in my garden. I finally figured out it came from an open bag of fertilizer that I had stored in the back of the barn. How it got contaminated by Grazon I will never know. But that stuff is AWFUL to get rid of so be careful with it!
Yes to good hay. I worked very hard to get rid of the foxtail growing in my small pasture by mowing it weekly. Then I got a bunch of hay that was full of it and there were the seed heads reseeding the ground. I make sure I don’t buy that stuff anymore.
Any chance you will share that source with me? I’m in NM and about to start buying hay for my two I’m bringing hone. I’d prefer not to stand trial by fire finding a hay source.
