Getting a hay test may seem like one of those things that experts talk about but no one really does. But that would be an inaccurate statement – people do it. And people like Chris Parker, former Purdue University Extension ag educator and current Forage Notes columnist, says more people should get take hay samples and get hay tests. It should be to those growing and feeding hay and forage like soil testing is to crop farmers.
Related: Test hay to guide livestock feeding decisions
Once you realize how easy forage sampling is, hopefully you will take the time and invest the small amount of funds needed to get valuable hay test results.
How to hay sample: See how easy it is to get forage sample results that can help you feed your livestock more efficiently.
You may also think that it's silly to do a hay test this late in the winter – you may be down to the forages you kept for last because they weren't as good. But it's important to know what you're feeding.
Ron Lemenager, Purdue University Extension beef specialist, says that due to lots of rain last year that delayed cuttings and sometimes interfered with curing, nutrient content of some forages isn't what you may think. Levels could be lower this year.
The only way to find out is to complete a forage test. Below is a step-by-step process for testing hay. The author took the samples on various forages of his own to show the process.
Thanks to Allison Bechman for capturing the hay sampling steps by camera.
See the hay sampling how-to by using the page navigation below.
Step one
Secure the equipment: Most county Extension offices have a hay probe in their inventory, Parker says. They will loan it out to whoever wants to use it. This hay test probe is from the Johnson County Extension office. It consists of a long metal tube, a plunger, a cutting tip and some sort of attachment for a drill. Here is the type of forage sampling kit you need to take cores from bales.
Step two
If you have a corded drill or a battery-powered drill, you can get hay test cores faster and with less exertion. The only problem I encountered was that the hay sampling process drew lots of power, and the battery on my cordless drill didn't hold charge very long.
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Step three
Probe the end of the bale. To get a more accurate sample, drill into the end of each bale. If you go into the side, you will likely only get into one flake of hay.
Step four
Empty contents of the core into a plastic bag or clean container. While this may seem intuitive, actually the first reaction is to stuff the plunger down the end where the drill attaches. Instead, you must plunge from the cutting tip end, since it is the smallest end, to force ground hay out. (If you are curious about our unique barn lighting, see this story.)
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Step five
Use the old-fashioned brace and bit for the hay test sample if the power drill stops or you don't have one. Most kits come with a brace and bit. It may require using a different attachment. In this case the attachment was worn from heavy use, but still allowed the brace and bit to function.
Step six
Take several hay cores per lot of bales. Sample more than one bale. You will need 4 to 6 hay test cores from the lot of hay to have a pint – which should be plenty to send to the lab for testing. Choose representative bales of the lot.
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Step seven
Sample each lot separately. Here are three very different bales of hay. They vary in type and weight, and as it turned out, nutrient value. You can guess that they differ, but you don't know for sure unless you test each lot.
Step eight
Resist the temptation to grab-sample. You could grab a sample of hay from loose flakes like these, next to a full bale of the same lot, instead of coring. However, results received back on this hay indicated that the grab sample isn't as accurate. You don't get as many areas of the lot represented. Besides, the lab charges $2 more to process a grab sample!
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