Local News & Information |
|
August 19, 2008
By Paul Craig, Penn State Cooperative Extension Educator for Agronomic Crop Production
CARLISLE — Summer time is fair time all across PA and one of the more interesting features of Pennsylvania fairs is the judging contests. These contests range from livestock to fruits and vegetables to canned goods, artwork, photography, sewing products and crafts. These competitions allow exhibitors to demonstrate their skills in raising livestock or produce or crops or their skills in craftsmanship. One of the highlights for me at fairs is the field crop and hay judging exhibits. Often times I have been invited to judge agronomic crops and many questions are asked during the judging on how hay crops are evaluated. Hopefully this brief article will highlight some of the factors that are involved in judging hay crops.
Hay judging is not only important during fairs. Any livestock or horse owner needs to have an understanding of the principals of evaluating forage crops. Hay crops vary in quality more than any other harvested feed crop. Quality can vary widely within the same forage species, cutting and even locality. Making a decision to purchase hay requires the ability to judge hay quality with some accuracy. In addition anyone who feeds hay to horses and livestock must understand that the forage requirement for their animals will greatly affect the type and quality of the forage that is needed. For example the forage quality needs of a high producing dairy cow or hard working draft horse are totally different than a dry cow, growing heifer or a pleasure horse that spends the majority of its time on a pasture or in a box stall.
The most accurate method used to evaluate forage quality is by sampling the hay and having a sample sent to a forage testing laboratory for analysis. The second forage evaluation process involves evaluating the physical characteristics of the hay using sight, smell and feel and is a more subjective process.
Maturity of the crop is one of the main factors in assessing hay quality. Immature plants provide more nutrients because they contain more digestible fiber than more mature plants. Leafiness of the hay is also a factor closely related to nutritive value as leaves are the most digestible portion of the forage. It is important that the leaves remain attached to the stems of the hay. Too often leaves are lost during handling and feeding.
Odors are especially important when evaluating hay crops. Often times the presence of molds can be determined by putting your nose up close to the hay sample and smelling for musty odors. Color is important because a bright green color indicates that the crop has been cured under optimum conditions. However, color alone is not the only factor to consider. Sun can bleach hay and cause it to lose its green color but the forage can still retain its high quality. However, excessive rain on the hay while in the windrow will wash out many nutrients in the hay and cause it to lose its green color. Hay that is baled too wet can heat and result in dark green, brown or black, also not a good thing for forage quality.
Another factor many hay evaluators use is the softness of the hay. Soft hay is associated with greater livestock acceptability. Hay that is coarser for the animals may result in sorting and refusal. Purity of hay refers to amount of other forages in the hay. Typically hay that contains a single forage is more uniform in the bale and usually brings higher prices at hay auctions. In many hay shows there are classes for mixed hays and these are judged accordingly.
Finally hay evaluators look for the presence of foreign matter including weeds and old crop residues including straw or corn fodder. Weeds are often observed and can result in some challenging feeding programs depending on the weed species present. Some weed species may be hazardous to certain livestock species or can cause injury to the gums and mouths of animals. Other problems may arise from weedy hay when seeds from the weed plants are scattered around pasture areas or crop area in manures.
Hay shows at fairs can illustrate the many factors that are desired by purchasers of hay crops. Hay shows help producers to evaluate their selection process and can attract potential hay buyers to new forage providers in their area. This summer when you are visiting your local fair take a closer look at the hay show entries and see if you can spot differences in the samples exhibited.
Paul H. Craig is the Penn State Cooperative Extension Educator for Agronomic Crop Production serving south Central Pennsylvania. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. Penn State Extension in Cumberland County is located at 310 Allen Road, Suite 601, Carlisle, PA 17013, phone 717-240-6500, e-mail Cumberlandext@psu.edu.