N.C. Cooperative Extension-Alexander County Newsletter October 2022

Testing Your Forage

If you are counting calories, how do you know how many calories are in a bag of chips? You read the label! Unfortunately, hay does not come with a label telling you all the ingredients and calories. But did you know that you can get one? Forage testing is the easiest way to determine forage quality and provides you with the information to ensure that you are meeting your cattle’s nutritional needs. Generally, we as producers have to worry more about making sure our cows have enough calories, rather than restricting them!

So how do you test forage? Contact your local Extension Office, as they have the forms and most likely a probe to collect the sample with.

To correctly sample a rectangular bale, the bit is driven into the end of 15 to 20 bales from a particular lot of hay. Drill to the full depth of the sample tube on loose bales and half depth in tight bales. Mix the cores thoroughly and send the entire sample to the lab in a sealed plastic bag.
Large round bales should be sampled on the rounded side of the bale. Collect a single sample from each of 10 to 12 bales from the same lot, combining the core samples into one sample for analysis. If the outer layer of the round bale is weathered, pull away 1 to 2 inches and sample below. Drill to the full depth of the tube.

Each hay type (fescue, orchard grass, alfalfa, etc.) and cutting should be sampled. Quality can vary greatly in hay cuttings due to weather, stage of harvest, and fertilizer amounts applied. Samples should be representative and selected at random. Silage can also be analyzed. Silage and forage samples are sent to the NCDA lab for analysis and cost $10.00 per sample.

Once you have your results back, then what? These results will help you determine whether or not you need to supplement in order to meet your herds needs nutritionally. Most producers think that crude protein is our most limiting factor, thus all the protein tubs you see from pasture to pasture. Actually TDN (total digestible nutrients) or energy is our most limiting factor. Often we are able to meet the needs of our dry cows (48- 52% TDN and 7- 7.8% P) with medium quality hay. However, when it comes to feeding 1st calf heifers that have to continue growing themselves and raise a calf, our mediocre quality hay won’t make the grade.