{"id":1852,"date":"2018-09-03T19:32:05","date_gmt":"2018-09-03T23:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/?p=1852"},"modified":"2018-09-03T19:32:05","modified_gmt":"2018-09-03T23:32:05","slug":"forage-quality-in-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/2018\/09\/forage-quality-in-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Forage Quality in 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year has been a challenge for forage producers due to the wet weather this summer. \u00a0A few years ago we ran into this same issue of low quality forages.\u00a0UGA Extension Forage Scientist Dr. Dennis Hancock is encouraging cattlemen and producers to sample their hay and baleage to assess the nutritive value of it. \u00a0Below are some commens from Dennis on this issue.<\/p>\n

Dr. Saha at the Feed and Environmental Water Lab to summarize the samples received from this growing season so far (April 1-current). He has provided the attached summary, which can be seen below. \u00a0If you compare the values to the means shown in the long-term summary found in Figure 11 of the\u00a0\u201cUnderstanding and Improving Forage Quality\u201d Extension Bulletin<\/a>, you will see that the average values from 2018 compare favorably to these long-term data. BUT (and I strongly emphasize this BUT), there is tremendous variability this year. He kindly provided the ranges in values for these forage categories, as well as the standard deviation. These summary statistics alert us to the real risks out there: There are many samples that are extremely low quality. For reference, wheat straw generally has a TDN value of ~45% or less. Note the range in the quality on some of these samples.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The final column in the attached is one that I calculated which is the coefficient of variation (standard deviation as a percent of the mean). Normally, we see a CV of ~10%. This year, the we have a LOOOOTTTTT more variability. Some categories are showing as much as 38% CV!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Forage Sampling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obtaining a representative forage sample is critically important. The first step is to identify a single lot (forage taken from the same farm, same field, and cut under the same conditions within a 48-hour time period). Once a lot is defined, sub-samples should be obtained from\u00a0at least 20 different bales (hay, baleage) or areas (silage) that\u00a0are selected at random. Avoid taking grab samples from the\u00a0bale or stack, as this may cause leaf loss and result in a\u00a0sample that is not a fair representation of the lot. It is best to\u00a0use a clean, sharp, forage probe. \u00a0Detailed\u00a0sampling procedures from the \u00a0National Forage Testing Association can be obtained here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0information on selecting and purchasing forage probes, see\u00a0the frequently asked question (FAQ) page entitled \u201cWhat\u00a0hay probe do you recommend and where can I get one?\u201d<\/a> \u00a0on the University of Georgia\u2019s Forage\u00a0Extension<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you have any questions about forage quality or sampling please contact your local county agent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year has been a challenge for forage producers due to the wet weather this summer. \u00a0A few years ago we ran into this same issue of low quality forages.\u00a0UGA Extension Forage Scientist Dr. Dennis Hancock is encouraging cattlemen and producers to sample their hay and baleage to assess the nutritive value of it. \u00a0Below […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hay-forages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1852"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1858,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions\/1858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/colquittag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}