Ihave been trying and I stress the word “trying” to be more proactive lately. In this same vein, I thought I would start talking about hay testing earlier this year. As most everyone knows, the ideal time to sample hay for forage quality is just prior to feeding. This provides you with the most accurate representation of what the animal will be consuming. However, sampling early also has some advantages. These advantages will be discussed below.

The remainder of this article will focus on getting a sample that accurately represents the hay that you have on hand. Hay testing is of little value if the results do not accurately represent what you are actually feeding. The following tips will help you get a sample that represents the hay that you have on your farm.

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