Understanding a producer’s forage quality is the backbone of providing a balanced nutrition plan.  Hay testing can provide data that producers and Cooperative Extension Agents use to ensure the nutritional needs of the animal are being met.  Without a test, farmers are blindly feeding leading to wasted resources. 

The Clark County Extension Office offered two ways for producers to understand their forage quality; free forage testing year-round and the Central KY Hay Testing. 

The Clark County Extension Office wanted to give the opportunity for producers to understand their forage quality by offering free forage testing. The office has sent out over 16 samples which is up from previous years. These samples were from individuals looking to see if their forage was meeting their animals needs and some was looking for a hay analysis for selling hay. Some producers found that their hay was sufficient in meeting their animals needs which saved them thousands in feed bills. Others used results in building rations to prevent overfeeding during a time when hay prices were very high.

The Central Kentucky Hay Contest was created to generate friendly competition among producers and educate producers about forage test analysis and the economic impact of the results.  Eight central Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Agents organized the contest and gathered samples from their county to be analyzed by the UK Forage team.  In total, over 130 samples were analyzed. Eleven samples were Clark County which were used in helping in selling the hay for better prices due to their quality. 

In general, hay testing is being more popular in Clark County and with the high forage prices, producers are wanting to know exactly what is in their hay.