Z&J Cattle
Well-known member
The county extension offices can do this right? What will they need exactly? Do I just bust open a bale and take them a sample from the center? Thanks,
Zach
Zach
Forage testing hay?
- Thread starter Z&J Cattle
- Start date
Dave
Well-known member
Some extension offices will test forage, others won't. Probably best to call first. If your extension doesn't do it there are lots of private labs that will. Your extension should know the local ones.
There is actually a neat little tool for sampling. Lacking one of these, cram a hay hook in between the bale layers, turn it a little, just enough to snag some hay, pull it out. Do this to several different bales. Fill about half a bread sack with a random, representative sample.
Dave
There is actually a neat little tool for sampling. Lacking one of these, cram a hay hook in between the bale layers, turn it a little, just enough to snag some hay, pull it out. Do this to several different bales. Fill about half a bread sack with a random, representative sample.
Dave
shorty
Well-known member
my feed salesman stops in once a month he takes the sample and sends it to a lab in Lancaster . It costs around 11 dollars per sample . I only do it once or maybe twice a year just to get an idea of what I'm feeding.
dcara
Well-known member
Shorty - does he take a core sample from a bale, or is it clippings from stockpiled ground forage? How much does he take?
shorty
Well-known member
He takes a core sample from the bale, he has a hand drill with a tube about 15 inches long that he turns into the bale to get samples , he usualy takes from 2or 3 bales. He fills a small ziplock bag , maybe about a cupfull. I make wrapped baleage and I like to test some to help me to know what my moisture is along with the quality of what i'm feeding. I also filled a bag with corn silage , his probe didn't work for that so we just cut a small hole in the bag a dug some out .
