Farm Bureau launches hay contest for Burmudagrass growers

The Georgia Farm Bureau is accepting entries for its annual Quality Hay Contest from members who grow Bermudagrass hay.

Hay entered in the contest will be tested at a University of Georgia lab using the Relative Forage Quality Test, which provides an analysis of the nutritional value. Winners will be determined by the RFQ analysis.

“Entering this contest is a great way to have the nutritional quality of your hay analyzed,” said Floyd County

Farm Bureau President Ivy Lowrey “Everyone who enters hay samples in this contest will benefit from learning what management adjustments they can make to their hay fields to improve the quality of their hay.”

Prizes will be presented to the top five producers.

The first-place winner will receive the free use of a Vermeer 604R baler for one year and have the option to purchase it at a reduced price.

The deadline to enter is Oct. 31. Winners will be announced the first week of December.

Contest rules, applications and instructions for submitting samples are available at the Floyd County Farm Bureau office, 725 E. Second Ave., or online at gfb.ag/haycontest.

All entries must have been grown in Georgia on a field with at least 25 days of maturity or regrowth. Hay samples should be naturally dried in the field and taken from the center of at least five different bales that come from the same field.

There is a $20 entry fee for each sample entered in the contest to cover the cost of the lab analysis.