Ag Line: Forage Analysis
By Wade Parker County Extension Agent

Forage testing is becoming more and more important in the everyday management of beef cattle and the hay marketing business. A basic service that UGA offers is testing forage species (bermuda, peanut, bahia, millet, etc.). Forage quality changes with maturity and storage, therefore, a forage test can supply useful information about the nutritive value of hay or pasture. This information can be used to adjust the amount of supplements that need to be fed to your livestock. If forage quality is high, the producer can feed few or possibly no supplements, resulting in savings. Conversely, if the forage quality is low, diet supplementation can improve animal performance and increase profits. The bottom line is if you have a certain lot of hay that has a TDN of 52-53%, the hay would be more suitable for dry cows. On the other hand, a TDN value of 56- 57% would be more geared to lactating cows. If all of your hay is 52% TDN, then you would obviously need to feed a supplement with regards to lactating cows.

Another advantage to forage testing is in regards to buying and selling. In the past, we have bought and sold hay based on appearance. While the appearance of hay can be an indicator, this method should not be used as a stand alone. If a producer wishes to purchase hay for any given price, wouldn't it be nice to know the levels of crude protein, TDN, nitrates, and the RFQ rating? If you were selling hay, a good analysis will help sell the hay a lot quicker and will also help justify a certain price. The RFQ system was put in place to give producers a simplified method on measuring quality. RFQ predicts energy based on fiber quality and intake, which is then combined into a single number. The Extension Office has a chart with all applicable RFQ numbers.

In summary, forage testing is a valuable tool for balancing beef cattle rations and marketing hay. The cost per forage sample is $12 and the turn around is only a few days. The Extension Office has a forage probe that we will loan out along with an electric drill (if you don't own one) that is needed to power the probe. If you are sampling large bales of hay, I usually suggest 12-15 bales per sample. Please do not hesitate to call if you would like to use this service.

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