In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, NC Choices has collaborated with Extension livestock and forage partners to develop NC Hay Finder, a new website to help connect farmers needing hay with those who have hay to sell. Read more below…
NC State Extension, with the generous financial support of NC Farm Bureau and NC Cattlemen’s, has launched a new tool for connecting those needing hay with those who have hay to sell. The newly launched website, nchayfinder.com, allows you to search for hay by your zip code. You can then sort by distance, type of hay, or price. If you have hay for sale, you can create a listing by creating an account.
For livestock production, forage is the primary source of feed and nutrition. Simply, forages are the plant material that animals eat, whether the animal harvests it themselves through grazing or it is harvested mechanically (hay, sileage, baleage) by the farmer. Feed is the most expensive cost of a livestock enterprise. Farms that can extend their grazing season through management (rotational grazing, improved pastures, etc.) can help reduce this cost. Even with the best management practices, there is still a need for feeding stored forages (hay, baleage, silage).
In 2023, 119 million tons of dry hay was produced nationally. Based on the 2022 Census of Agriculture, North Carolina harvested over 1.2 million tons of dry hay. Many variables affect the quality of hay. These include, but are not limited to: the species of hay (fescue, orchardgrass, alfalfa, etc.), stage of maturity of the plant at harvest, amount of weeds in the forage, and how the hay is stored. There are visual inspections that you can make to help assess the quality of the hay. However, the best way to assess the hay is to have the forage analyzed.
Your forage analysis results are only as good as the sample you submit. Be sure to collect a representative sample of the hay you want analyzed and keep the sample clean from contaminants. Sample each unique lot of hay, or hay from the same field and same cutting. If possible, use a core sampler to obtain your sample from various bales from the lot. Always sample from the end of square bales or the round side of a round bale. It is best to remove the outer half inch of the bale before sampling to help limit contamination. Mix the samples in a clean plastic bucket. Typically, a gallon-size portion is needed.
You can send your sample to the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Feed & Forage Laboratory or you can choose a commercial lab for testing. For more information about the NC Hay Finder website or how to collect a forage sample, contact your local livestock agent.
Download this one-pager about NC Hay Finder.