Hay is a high-dollar dairy investment, so it’s important to assess quality to make sure you get what you’ve paid for, and that your rations are formulated with accurate numbers.
Dr. Kevin Hoogendoorn, Hawarden, Iowa veterinarian and found of the ZISK App, said disparity in hay quality test results between seller and buyer is a common problem. Often, “the grower or hay broker will email their lab test results to the dairyman,” he explained. “And then the nutritionist shows up and samples the same lot when it arrives on the farm. Usually, two different labs are being used to evaluate the samples.”
As an example, Hoogendoorn said he works with one dairy that buys hay from a broker who regularly reports a Relative Feed Quality (RFQ) score of 180, while samples after delivery to the farm typically test closer to 140. “I rely on the on-farm numbers, because I have years of experience with the forage lab I use, and I know how their reports relate to cow performance,” stated Hoogendoorn.
By MAUREEN HANSON
April 17, 2024
