According to the 2012 Agricultural Census Menifee County raises 4,500 head of cattle and 5,800 acres of forages are raised each year.  The high rainfall of 2018 and 2019 winters have provided the opportunity for Menifee County farmers to deal with mud and fluctuating temperatures.  Both of these conditions increase a cows calorie need to stay at the same BCS (Body Condition Score).  The Menifee County Beef Producers have hosted 3 meetings on ways to help cattle through these struggles during the last 18 months.  It was stressed at each meeting to know what you are feeding.  Hay sampling is the only way one can truly know what the herd is eating and what is missing.  The results of the hay test will tell the producer if they need to supply more protein or more energy or both.  

In the fall of 2019 Menifee County Hay samples have increased exponentially.  24 samples were entered in the East KY Hay Contest.  38 county samples have been processed by either the KDA lab or Dairy One.  In Early winter the Beef Producers will have a meeting with local hay results to help plan for this winter-feeding requirement.