Agriculture + Lifestyle

Bacon wins GFB Hay Contest

by Jay Stone
News Reporter

Posted on March 1, 2024 10:27 AM

Georgia Farm Bureau Hay Committee Chairman Harry Thompson, right, congratulates Jeff Bacon on winning the 2023 GFB Hay Contest. / Photo by Jay Stone

Laurens County Farm Bureau member Jeff Bacon won the 2023 Georgia Farm Bureau Quality Hay Contest. As the top prize winner in the hay contest, Bacon receives a year’s use of a Vermeer Mid-Sized Trailed Mower, with the option to buy it for a reduced price at the end of the year. 

The contest drew 47 entries. The GFB Hay Commodity Committee has held it since 1992 to encourage superior Bermudagrass hay production. Vermeer has provided the first-place prize since 1999.

Hay samples entered in the contest were analyzed using the University of Georgia’s Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) testing method, which measures nutrient content and digestibility of the hay. Bacon’s sample of Bermuda hay had an RFQ score of 163. The average RFQ score for all entries was 144.

Entered samples are required to have nitrate levels below 4,500 parts per million and moisture content of 18% or less to be eligible for contest prizes.

Garren Hall, Franklin County, took second place with a 155 RFQ  to win $200 and a cooler. Guerry Hall, Franklin County, placed third with a 148 RFQ to win $100. Michael Powell, Atkinson County, came in fourth with a 143 RFQ. Tony Petty, Gordon County, was fifth with a 142 RFQ.

Bacon previously won the contest in 2016. He placed second in 2022.