Preserving our Roots:
Agri-Businesses in Goochland
Article submitted by Nicole Shuman, Goochland's Agriculture Extension Agent.
With the hay coming in, it’s time for producers to think about hay testing. Not all hay is created equal, and testing can tell you a lot about the nutrition your animals are actually receiving. Key metrics are dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Nutritional needs change across gestation and lactation, and are different for first calf heifers than mature cows. Whenever you plan on feeding hay—in the winter, or in the summer and early fall to allow for stockpiling—knowing the forage quality can allow you to match lots of hay to your herd’s needs.
Depending on storage conditions, hay quality can decline over time. Hay stored outside, exposed, and on the ground can decline significantly in quality between being harvested and being fed. For hay stored in such conditions, analysis should be done closer to the time of feeding so that it most accurately represents the nutrition that animals receive.
Of course, any forage analysis is only as good as the sample submitted. Samples must be representative to be useful. Divide the hay into lots, with one lot being all of the hay from one cutting of one field. From a single lot, take 20-30 subsamples and combine them into a composite sample to submit. Repeat for the other lots of hay. Sampling by lot ensures that you don’t accidentally “average out” the variability that comes from different fields and different cuttings. Meanwhile, taking an adequate number of subsamples ensures that you DO get an analysis that reflects the entire lot, rather than an unusually good or bad bale.
The Extension Office has a hay probe available for checkout. Please contact the Goochland Extension Office if you would like more information on how to take and submit hay samples!
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