Why and How to Test Hay Quality

In my opinion it's always a good idea to test your hay! It's really the only way to know exactly what you are getting. Smell and sight alone aren't good enough indicators of hay quality. The best way to know how much supplemental feed that cattle or other livestock will need, is to take a sample of the hay and have it tested by a lab to determine the actual crude protein and TDN values. TDN is 'Total Digestible Nutrients' and is what the cow uses to live. Protein, TDN, and Fiber all contribute to the quality of hay. Here are some good resources that will let you use hay test results to determine supplement needs - and also some good reading material that goes more in depth regarding beef cattle nutrient requirements. Oakfield Hay Samplers https://www.soilsamplers.com/collecti... Hay Sampler Probe on Amazon https://amzn.to/3IX9l5R Collecting Forage Samples for Analysis https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sh... OSU CowCulator (Free download from OK State University) https://extension.okstate.edu/program... University of Kentucky Beef Forage Supplement Tool http://forage-supplement-tool.ca.uky.... Supplementing Beef Cows https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sh... Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sh... Subscribe to the Channel:    / @arrowjmfarms