Harvesting haylage is becoming very popular.
Photo submitted
ELDON COLE
MT. VERNON, MO.
The weather has finally given farmers a break with a few acceptable hay-making days in the last week or so. Now is a good time to pull hay samples for entry in the Ozark Empire Fair Hay Show. Even though the weather has presented challenges for ideal hay or haylage production, you can use the hay test results to begin planning your winter hay feeding strategy.
The entry deadline for the Hay Show Is July 19. The cost is a bargain at $23 per sample. To enter, contact the nearest University of Missouri Extension specialist as they are the ones who actually pull the core samples from the 10 bale entry.
The show accommodates either dry hay or haylage in conventional small bales or large high moisture forage, allow at least two to three weeks before collecting the hay bale sample.
Space at the Fair only allows for displaying the Champions and Reserves in the two divisions. Within each division the classes are split into: legumes; cool season grass; warm season perennial grass; grass-legume mix and summer/winter annual grass. The hay exhibit at the fair will be educational and have booklets on display with all the exhibitors’ data that includes test results from Custom Lab, Monett.
Past exhibitors credit the show with marketing assistance.
The class placings will be based on Relative Forage quality (RFQ).
Data, in addition to RFQ will include: moisture; crude protein; acid detergent fiber; neutral detergent fiber; and total digestible nutrients (TDN). The forage must have been harvested in Missouri in 2021. Exhibitors are limited to two entries per class. No more than one entry per field per cutting may be made.
Due to the emphasis on education about forage analysis and how to interpret lab results for planning supplemental feed needs, premiums are limited to ribbons, rosettes and cash prizes for the top six entries in each class.
For more details contact Tim Schnakenberg, Galena 417-357-6812 or Eldon Cole, Mt. Vernon, 417-466-3012. ∆
ELDON COLE: Extension Livestock Specialist, University of Missouri