The Fine Art of Forage Sampling

Haying season is upon us. There is an old axiom that what happens in June determines the entire success of the farm year. Certainly it determines the diet we serve to our animals. Good weather provides opportunity to put up quality forage. Conversely, poor weather affects quality negatively.

Plan to sample your feed groups. Homegrown grains should be sampled every two years. Check to see how your crop compares to expected values of similar crops. The nutrient composition of roughage varies greatly from year to year and should be sampled annually. Other pieces of the feeding puzzle are built around the base of roughage quality.

Collecting the roughage sample is an art. Some things to remember: Silage is best sampled while filling the silo. Grab a handful of silage from every third or fourth wagon and place in a clean plastic bag. At the end of each day, mix the contents of the plastic bag, take a two-handful subsample and freeze it in a sealed freezer bag. Continue to do this each day of harvesting. When the silo is filled, thaw all the subsamples and mix them together in a clean, dry plastic pail or bag. Take a two-handful sample and place it in a clearly labelled plastic bag. Remove any air present by squeezing the bag, and then seal it securely. Labelling the sample as "fresh silage - sampled during ensiling" allows a prediction of ADF. Sampling hay requires a hay core sampler. Core samplers may be borrowed from the OMAF office. Sample at least 10 -12 bales from various parts of the hay mow or storage area. Mix the cores in a clean plastic pail. Two hands worth of the mix is usually enough for analysis. Grabbing samples by hand or flakes of hay will not give accurate or representative results.

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You can grab grain by the handful. A grain probe is preferred. Sample from various areas of the bin. Again, mix and retain a two-handful sample for analysis.Don't forget to properly label your samples. Also, obtain and fill out an input form from an accredited laboratory. Identifying the type of forage assists the lab in determining the Acid Detergent Fibre of your sample. For instance, calling a forage a grass instead of a legume causes a different equation to be used, giving entirely different results. As a matter of course, provide the laboratory with any and all information that will be helpful to them in analyzing your feed stuff.

Basic analysis to be considered would be: dry matter, crude protein, acid detergent fibre, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium and Potassium. Other items may be analyzed as required. The more you pay, the more you get.

A list of accredited laboratories is available from the OMAF office.

Getting a proper analysis of the roughage being fed makes it a lot easier to work with your nutritionist to plan a proper feeding program.