How nutritious is the hay you baled this summer or the haylage you bagged to be fed next winter? Unless you have forage samples tested for nutritional value, you’re just guessing at how much protein and energy the forage can provide for livestock.

Keith Johnson, Purdue Extension forage specialist, encourages hay and forage producers to take advantage of the opportunity to get lab-tested results back on your forage. That will better help you plan how to use the forage this winter.

The 2022 Hoosier Hay Contest is a great chance to learn about your hay, and perhaps win some cash at the same time, Johnson says. It’s organized by the Indiana Forage Council with support from SureTech Laboratories. Hutson Inc. is the major sponsor for the contest.

To enter, take samples of your hay or haylage and send them to SureTech Labs. At the same time, send payment for sampling to Hay Contest Organizers. The contest organizer and your local Extension educator will receive results, which he or she can share with you.

Three awards will be given in both dry hay and baleage categories. First place in each overall category receives $250 and a one-year membership to the Indiana Forage Council. Second place gets $150, and third place earns $100.

More hay contest details

Entries are due by Sept. 30. You can submit more than one sample, but each sample needs its own entry form and fee paid. The fee is $10 per sample, which is a reduced cost for a basic forage test. Visit indianaforage.org for more details.

Any hay or baleage producer in Indiana can enter the contest, but entries must come from the farm that owns or manages the acreage where the forage was grown. Samples must be taken from a single lot of hay and a minimum of 20 bales. Rules define a “lot of hay” as forage taken from the same farm, field and cutting under uniform conditions within a 48-hour period, Johnson notes.

Collect samples using a core probe. Many Extension offices have hay probes for loan. Submit hay samples in a quart-sized zip-close bag, sealed and labeled with producer name and sample ID number. Baleage samples should not be collected until at least six weeks after wrapping.

For hay samples, the moisture content must be less than 18%, or 25% if treated with a preservative, or samples will be disqualified from the contest. Baleage samples must be between 40% and 65%.

To learn more about the hay contest sponsor, visit hutsoninc.com.