Tri-County Hay Show provides Cass County producers ways to best manage animal nutrition
The Tri-County Hay Show took place in Jefferson, Texas on October 10th. This event was organized by Cass, Marion, and Harrison County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. This event was sponsored by Price Hardware, Sweet Pro, and Marion County Farm Bureau.
Cass County had 12 hay samples entered in the hay show. All of these samples were sent off to the Texas A&M Forage and Soil Testing Lab in College Station, Texas. These samples were analyzed for their nutritional content to determine their crude protein and total digestible nutrients.
The samples were judged for maturity, texture, leafiness, foreign matter, and color, in addition to their crude protein content.
Cass County Producers faired well in the contest with several producers placing in their respective categories.
David Withers placed second in the Bahai Grass Category. Greg Mabus placed first and second in the mixed category, and Royce Thomason placed second in the Bermuda Grass Category. Thomason’s hay sample also had the highest crude protein content of any sample in the show.
“Understanding what you’re feeding your livestock can make a tremendous difference in the quality of production,” says Jessica Rymel, Cass County AgriLife Extension Agent. “Feed costs make up 40% of the operating cost for cattle producers, so being able to feed exactly what is necessary gives producers a way to cut costs and maximize production.
Whether you are feeding cattle, horses, or goats, as a livestock owner, you need to be aware of the quality of forage that is being fed to best manage your animal nutrition.”
Cass County producers also had the opportunity to submit soil samples. With the data from the forage analysis and the recommendations from the soil samples, producers will have a headstart on producing the best quality forage possible in 2020.
If you are interested in having your forage tested, please contact the Cass County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service at 903.756.5391.