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Additional Left Column Content
Hay Testing
Why is hay testing important?Because unless you test, it’s just a guess! There is no other way to look at or taste a bale to see how nutritious it is for cattle. It tells us if, how and what we need to supplement. If you don’t test you may waste money on unnecessary supplements or not provide your cattle with enough nutrients to maintain their body condition scores.
How to collect a hay sample?
- Test each lot of forage separately. A lot is hay that was harvested out of the same field at the same time, under the same conditions.
- Collect 15 to 20 core samples from each lot. Use a hay coring probe to reduce sampling error. If you don’t have a hay probe, contact your county Extension coordinator or regional Extension agent on the Animal Science and Forage team to locate a probe in your area.
- Insert the hay probe at a 90-degree angle
- For a round bale, insert the probe into the curved side of the bale.
- For a square bale, insert the probe into the center of the end of the bale.
- Remove the hay probe, and empty the contents into a clean container.
- After sampling a complete lot, mix the sample thoroughly and place the sample in a 1-quart plastic bag.
- Label each sample with an ID (e.g., Back forty, Front lot, Old cotton field)
- Fill out a Hay and Forage Testing Analysis Form on the Soil Testing Lab website or obtain a form from your county Extension office. Attach the form to the sample and mail it to the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory.
