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Don’t guess hay quality — test itDon’t guess hay quality — test it

Slideshow: Forage testing is key to profitable feeding. Here are five steps for preparing and evaluating accurate samples, plus see if you can pick out the best hay at World Dairy Expo.

Tom J. Bechman, Midwest Crops Editor

October 16, 2024

8 Slides
 farmer with bushels of hay

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Photos by Tom J. Bechman

Pulling forage samples is not an option in Nick Minton’s eyes. It is essential.

“It is where everything begins for feeding livestock,” says Minton, a Purdue animal scientist and director of the Indiana Bull Evaluation Program, based at the Feldun-Purdue Ag Center near Bedford, Ind.

“If you don’t test forages, you don’t have any guidelines for building your ration,” he explains. “You could feed for a month and then judge performance based on if cattle were maintaining body condition or getting thin, but that is backward, in my judgment.

“Forages are a big part of the ration for beef bulls in our testing program, and I want to feed a balanced ration from the beginning. That means I must test feed ingredients for nutrient content, including forages.”

How to sample hay

Achieving a reliable forage test starts with sampling correctly, Minton says. Here are his five basic steps for preparing and evaluating accurate samples:

1. Obtain a hay probe. In some states, county Extension offices have hay probes for loan. Your feed dealer or another input supplier might have a probe for use. They’re available for sale at around $200 per probe.

“You really need a probe for hay samples so that you get a representative sample,” Minton says. “A grab sample just doesn’t work for hay.”

Related:World Forage Analysis Superbowl winners honored

2. Use the right sample method for the bale type. For round bales, stick the probe into the side of the bales, not the ends. “Your goal is to pass the probe through as many layers of hay as possible, getting a representative sample,” Minton says. “Two probes per bale should be sufficient. If sampling a row of bales from the same cutting, you can skip every other bale down the row.”

For square bales, reverse your method, and sample from each end, not the sides. “This time, you want the probe to pass through as many flakes as possible,” Minton explains.

3. Pull enough samples. Pull at least 20 cores, usually two cores per bale, Minton says. Then mix the material thoroughly. Choose 1 pound of material at random to send to the commercial lab of your choice.

4. Interpret the results. If the lab reports adjusted crude protein, use that figure rather than just crude protein. “Adjusted crude protein is more reflective of the amount of protein available to the animal in the hay, and adjusts for bound or indigestible protein due to excessive heating,” Minton explains.

Also, look at neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber. NDF provides insight into potential feed intake, while ADF tells more about digestibility.

5. Understand terms. TDN stands for total digestible nutrients and is an important comparison between samples, Minton notes. Look at net energy values to get a measure of the same thing, including net energy for maintenance (NEM) and net energy for lactation (NEL). When buying or selling hay, relative forage quality (RFQ) is a common value used. A greater RFQ value indicates higher nutritional value.

Can you pick out the best hay from World Dairy Expo? Click through the slideshow of hay samples and then check out the table in the final slide to see the actual nutritional content of these samples.

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World Dairy Expo

About the Author

Tom J. Bechman

Midwest Crops Editor, Farm Progress

Tom J. Bechman became the Midwest Crops editor at Farm Progress in 2024 after serving as editor of Indiana Prairie Farmer for 23 years. He joined Farm Progress in 1981 as a field editor, first writing stories to help farmers adjust to a difficult harvest after a tough weather year. His goal today is the same — writing stories that help farmers adjust to a changing environment in a profitable manner.

Bechman knows about Indiana agriculture because he grew up on a small dairy farm and worked with young farmers as a vocational agriculture teacher and FFA advisor before joining Farm Progress. He works closely with Purdue University specialists, Indiana Farm Bureau and commodity groups to cover cutting-edge issues affecting farmers. He specializes in writing crop stories with a focus on obtaining the highest and most economical yields possible.

Tom and his wife, Carla, have four children: Allison, Ashley, Daniel and Kayla, plus eight grandchildren. They raise produce for the food pantry and house 4-H animals for the grandkids on their small acreage near Franklin, Ind.

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