Forage and Animal Specialists Support Agent Led Eastern Kentucky Hay Contest

Jimmy Henning, Chris Teutsch, Jeff Lehmkulher, Bob Coleman from the University of Kentucky, and Ken Andries from Kentucky State University

The Eastern Kentucky Hay Contest (EKHC) is a cooperative effort between the county agents and local cattlemen’s groups in Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky that is supported by extension specialists from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment and Kentucky State University. The contest began 26 years ago and involved three counties.  Today 15 counties participate. The contest has seen an 40% increase in the number of samples submitted in the past two years to an all-time high of 625.   Producers that participate in the hay contest receive a forage quality analysis and if desired, a ration for feeding their hay. Proper feeding helps these producers avoid the loss of production and livestock from underfeeding such as was seen in the winter of 2018-19.   In the past, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) Forage Testing program has analyzed these samples at no cost.  In 2019, the KDA was no longer able to offer this service gratuitous.  Drs. Henning and Teutsch worked with extension agents to coordinate the processing and analysis these samples at the Grain and Forage Center of Excellence in Princeton.  This saved the EKHC more than $6,000 annually in analytical costs, while expanding and improving the analytical results.