By Andi Anderson
With wet weather making hay production difficult this year, Ohio State University (OSU) Extension is stepping in to support farmers through a new hay testing program.
The program aims to help producers evaluate their hay’s nutritional value and plan for proper winter supplementation.
Frequent spring rains in 2025 have made it hard for many farmers to get multiple dry days in a row for making quality hay. As a result, questions about forage quality are more important than ever.
The OSU Extension hay testing program invites farmers to submit dry hay or baleage samples by July 31, 2025. Samples should be sent to local OSU Extension offices, along with a completed Hay Sample Submission form and program summary sheet. A hay sampling probe may also be available at participating offices.
The cost for testing is $15 for the first sample and $20 for each additional sample. The program uses Near Infrared (NIR) Analysis to provide detailed results on forage nutrients. Test results include values for:
- Dry Matter Content
- Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN)
- Crude Protein
- ADF, NDF
- Ash, Fat
- Carbon (C), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K)
If enough samples are collected, OSU Extension may also publish a county hay quality summary through the eBarn platform, offering useful benchmarks for producers.
For more on the haymaking challenges in 2025, OSU recommends reading You Finally Got the Hay Made, How Good is It? by retired Monroe County Educator Mark Landefeld.
This initiative is part of OSU’s ongoing efforts to support farm management decisions, especially during unpredictable weather conditions. Contact your local Extension office to check participation and sampling tools.
Photo Credit: hay-demand-remains-good
Categories: Ohio, Crops, Hay & Forage