ironpeddler
Well-known member
FRANKFORT, Ky. â€" Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer reminds livestock producers that it’s important to test forages, especially in a drought year like this one in which farmers are looking for ways to stretch their hay supplies.
“Nitrate poisoning can occur when feeding forages in which nitrates can accumulate, such as crop residue,†Commissioner Farmer said. “Testing forages is simple and inexpensive, and it can save you a lot of headaches later.â€
Dr. Lucky Pittman, head of the Pathology Section at the Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville, said his facility has tested numerous corn stalk samples in recent weeks and has found some to be well in excess of the safe level of nitrates for feeding to livestock. Some forages from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres that have been opened to haying and grazing have been found to have little or no nutritional content, Dr. Pittman said.
“Farmers should work with their veterinarian and their Extension agent to decide what is the best, least-cost ration,†Dr. Pittman said. “They need to know what the nutritional content is and supplement accordingly. If they don’t test, they don’t know what they’ve got.â€
Farmers can have their forages tested at the Breathitt Center or the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center in Lexington. For more information, call the UK Center at (859) 253-0571 or the Breathitt Center at (270) 886-3959 or contact your county Extension agent.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture tests forages for nutritional value. For a fee of $10 per lot, KDA staff will take samples at the farm and analyze them in the Department’s Frankfort lab. For more information, call toll-free 1-800-248-4628 or go to http://www.kyagr.com, click on Programs and click on Forage Testing.
The Department has set up a Hay Hotline for producers with hay to sell or looking for hay to buy. To get on one of the lists, call toll-free 1-888-567-9589. The KDA also hosts a Hay Directory where hay for sale is listed by county. To view the Hay Directory, go to http://www.kyagr.com, click on Programs and click on Hay for Sale (tested).
“Nitrate poisoning can occur when feeding forages in which nitrates can accumulate, such as crop residue,†Commissioner Farmer said. “Testing forages is simple and inexpensive, and it can save you a lot of headaches later.â€
Dr. Lucky Pittman, head of the Pathology Section at the Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville, said his facility has tested numerous corn stalk samples in recent weeks and has found some to be well in excess of the safe level of nitrates for feeding to livestock. Some forages from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres that have been opened to haying and grazing have been found to have little or no nutritional content, Dr. Pittman said.
“Farmers should work with their veterinarian and their Extension agent to decide what is the best, least-cost ration,†Dr. Pittman said. “They need to know what the nutritional content is and supplement accordingly. If they don’t test, they don’t know what they’ve got.â€
Farmers can have their forages tested at the Breathitt Center or the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center in Lexington. For more information, call the UK Center at (859) 253-0571 or the Breathitt Center at (270) 886-3959 or contact your county Extension agent.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture tests forages for nutritional value. For a fee of $10 per lot, KDA staff will take samples at the farm and analyze them in the Department’s Frankfort lab. For more information, call toll-free 1-800-248-4628 or go to http://www.kyagr.com, click on Programs and click on Forage Testing.
The Department has set up a Hay Hotline for producers with hay to sell or looking for hay to buy. To get on one of the lists, call toll-free 1-888-567-9589. The KDA also hosts a Hay Directory where hay for sale is listed by county. To view the Hay Directory, go to http://www.kyagr.com, click on Programs and click on Hay for Sale (tested).
