Ag News
GFB accepting entries for Quality Hay Contest & Hay Directory
Posted on Aug 18, 2020 at 20:00 PM
Georgia Farm Bureau invites all of its members who grow Bermudagrass hay to enter its annual hay contest by Oct. 31. Hay entered in the 2020 GFB Quality Hay Contest will be tested at the University of Georgia Feed & Environmental Water Lab using the Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) Test, which provides an analysis of the nutritional value of the hay.
Winners will be determined by the RFQ analysis and announced the first week in December. 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, courtesy of the Vermeer Manufacturing Company. The winner will have the option to purchase the baler at a reduced price at the end of the year. Entry forms outlining all contest rules may be picked up at local county Farm Bureau offices or downloaded at www.gfb.ag/HayContest .
There is a $20 fee for each entry to cover the cost of the lab test. Checks should be made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau. Entry fees, forms and samples should be sent to the GFB Public Policy Department 1620 Bass Road Macon, Ga., 31210. Entry fees, forms and samples may also be taken to your county Farm Bureau office.
Hay entered in the contest must have been grown in Georgia on a field with at least 25 days of maturity or regrowth. Samples should be naturally dried in the field and taken with a hay probe from the center of at least five different bales (rolls or squares) that come from the same field.
Producers may enter more than one sample and will receive RFQ analysis for all samples submitted. Contestants submitting multiple samples, however, may only place in the contest’s top five for the sample with the highest RFQ score.
Previous first-place winners are not eligible to win any prizes in the contest for three years after winning. Previous first-place winners may still enter their samples to have their hay analyzed.
GFB is also accepting listings for its online hay directory. Farm Bureau members with hay for sale or who offer custom harvesting or custom sprigging services are invited to list their hay and/or services in the GFB Quality Hay Directory published on the GFB website. Hay for sale or services can be listed or removed from the directory throughout the year.
To be included in GFB’s online hay directory, complete a submission form by visiting your county Farm Bureau office or online at www.gfb.ag/hay. Please include a $10 check made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau for each listing of hay, custom harvesting or custom sprigging. Multiple listings are allowed. Listings can be updated in the directory throughout the year as hay inventories change. Hay producers who enter the GFB Quality Hay Contest receive a free listing in the online GFB Hay Directory.
For more information about the contest contact Jeremy Taylor in the GFB Public Policy Department at jrtaylor@gfb.org or 478-474-0679,ext. 5212.
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