Here's are somedescriptions of different qualities of hay:
Hay Quality Designation's physical descriptions:
Supreme: Very early maturity, pre bloom, soft fine stemmed, extra
leafy. Factors indicative of very high nutritive content. Hay is
excellent color and free of damage.
Premium: Early maturity, i.e., pre-bloom in legumes and pre head in
grass hays, extra leafy and fine stemmed-factors indicative of a high
nutritive content. Hay is green and free of damage.
Good: Early to average maturity, i.e., early to mid-bloom in
legumes and early head in grass hays, leafy, fine to medium stemmed,
free of damage other than slight discoloration.
Fair: Late maturity, i.e., mid to late-bloom in legumes, head-in
grass hays, moderate or below leaf content, and generally coarse
stemmed. Hay may show light damage.
Utility: Hay in very late maturity, such as mature seed pods in
legumes or mature head in grass hays, coarse stemmed. This category
could include hay discounted due to excessive damage and heavy weed
content or mold.
Defects will be identified in market reports when using this category.
Source: USDA-CO Dept of Ag Market News Greeley, CO
~Jim