CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 10/18/16

SE Hay Contest winners announced

By Clint Thompson

Winners of this year’s Southeastern Hay Contest were announced on Tuesday, Oct. 18, the first day of the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo held in Moultrie, Georgia.

This year, 269 entries vied for the top spot, the prize for which is $1,000 cash and the use of a new Massey Ferguson RK Series Rotary Rake or DM Series Professional Disc Mower for the 2017 growing season.

The grand prizewinner was Bohlen and Son Farms, from Madison, Georgia. Bohlen and Son Farms posted a relative forage quality, or RFQ, score of 254.

“The Southeastern Hay Contest is an event that allows producers in the Southeastern United States the opportunity to showcase their high-quality hay. The contest is divided into nine different categories, which allows us to recognize a wide range of growers,” said Dennis Hancock, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension forage specialist.

This year’s categories include warm-season perennial grass hay, alfalfa hay, perennial peanut hay, cool-season perennial grass hay, mixed annual grass or other hays, grass baleage, legume baleage and high-moisture legume or grass/legume mix. High-moisture grass hay is another category, but it did not have any entries this year.

This year’s winners include:

Warm-season perennial grass hay – 107 entries

Farm City State RFQ

Bacon’s Fields, Dudley, Georgia: 175

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Farm Beef Unit, Tifton, Georgia: 157

Horace Pippin, Thomaston, Georgia: 154


Alfalfa hay – 16 entries

Farm City State RFQ

Bohlen and Son Farm, Madison, Georgia: 254

Mountain Side Farm, Taylorsville, North Carolina: 250

Bill Conrad, Malone, Florida: 238


Perennial peanut hay – two entries

Farm City State RFQ

Stoltzfus Farms, Blountstown, Florida: 168

Basford Farms, Grand Ridge, Florida: 155


Cool-season perennial grass hay – 33 entries

Farm City State RFQ

Eddie Wilson, LaFayette, Georgia: 162

Randall Selman, Armuchee, Georgia: 149

J and B Farms, Lyerly, Georgia: 140


Mixed annual grass or other hays – 44 entries

Farm City State RFQ

Bohlen and Son Farm, Madison, Georgia: 232

Bohlen and Son Farm, Madison, Georgia: 180

Bammann Hay and Trucking Inc., Aubrey, Texas: 175


Grass baleage – 52 entries

Farm City State RFQ

Walters Farm, Thomaston, Georgia: 216

Ernie Cooper, Lavonia, Georgia: 216

Yon Family Farms, Ridge Spring, South Carolina: 216


Legume baleage – 12 entries

Farm City State RFQ

Marcus South, Thomaston, Georgia: 223

Marcus South, Thomaston, Georgia: 201

Marcus South, Thomaston, Georgia: 198


High-moisture legume or grass/legume mix – three entries

Farm City State RFQ

Grubb Grass, Comer, Georgia: 238

Castleberry Farms, Gainesville, Georgia: 210

Grubb Grass, Comer, Georgia: 195


“This was another challenging year for forage growers in the Southeast. Extreme drought in Alabama and Georgia reduced quantity, but the quality of what was grown was generally good. In other areas, frequent rainfall, especially early in the season, increased yields, but delayed hay and baleage harvests, lowering forage quality,” Hancock said.

The three highest entries in each category received cash prizes – $125 for first, $75 for second and $50 for third.

Clint Thompson is an agriculture writer based in Tifton, Georgia.

Authors:
Clint Thompson
Experts/Sources:
Dennis Hancock
Hay bales outline a field in Butts County, Georgia.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
University and state leaders cut the ribbon during the Science and Ag Hill dedication ceremony. (Chamberlain Smith/UGA) CAES News
UGA dedicates first phase of Science and Ag Hill modernization 11/01/24
The University of Georgia held a dedication ceremony on Oct. 30 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of renovations to modernize research and instruction facilities and infrastructure on UGA’s Science and Ag Hill. This area of campus, located just south of Sanford Stadium, includes buildings dedicated to a variety of scientific disciplines such as biology, physics, geology and agricultural sciences.
CAES doctoral students Sofia Varriano and Leniha Lagarde follow farmer Clay Brady to the pasture where many of his chickens are kept. CAES News
UGA researchers study how free-range chickens influence farm sustainability 10/31/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Researchers in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are studying how pastured and free-range chickens impact ecosystems on integrated crop-livestock farms. Supported by a $749,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, entomology doctoral student Sofia Varriano and her thesis advisor, agroecologist and systems biology Professor Bill Snyder, are testing the promise of integrated crop-livestock agriculture to increase the sustainability of smaller farms.
Kaytlyn Cobb is now spearheading a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm as regional assistant director. CAES News
Kaytlyn Cobb joins UGA Grand Farm to boost agricultural innovation in Georgia 10/30/24 Sean Montgomery
Growing up in north Georgia’s Franklin County, Kaytlyn Cobb knew her aspirations in agriculture would always lead her to new opportunities. Inspired by her dedicated community and diverse background, Cobb is now spearheading a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm as regional assistant director. Hired in August, Cobb hit the ground running to continue development of the fast-forming ecosystem between Grand Farm, the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and global strategic partners.
Kevan Lamm teaching undergraduate students CAES News
CAES researchers prepare students to address complex challenges of the future 10/29/24 Emily Cabrera
Over the next three years, researchers in the University of Georgia’s Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication aim to transform undergraduate education in agricultural and environmental sciences by integrating systems thinking — an approach that encourages students to see the bigger picture by understanding how different components within a system interact.
Thermal imaging technology could improve the production of fruits and vegetables. CAES News
Thermal imaging may help fruits, veggies stay fresher longer 10/28/24 Savannah Peat
Before your favorite produce arrives at the grocery store, it must be carefully harvested and maintained across long stretches of time. A recent University of Georgia review suggests new temperature measuring technologies could make that process much simpler, amid growing agricultural challenges fueled by fluctuating climates. Maintaining temperature, humidity and light is critical to ensuring fruits and vegetables don’t spoil or deteriorate rapidly. Temperature spikes are the root of adverse outcomes, so monitoring these changes quickly and accurately is key.
At the 2024 Georgia Life Sciences Summit held Oct. 21-22 in Atlanta, Professor Quingguo “Jack” Huang of the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences received the Golden Helix Innovation Award for his research in technologies to mitigate “forever chemicals” in water resources. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker) CAES News
Georgia Bio awards recognize UGA inventor, corporate partners 10/25/24 Carson McAfee
University of Georgia Professor Quingguo “Jack” Huang, Delta Innovation Hub resident Dalan Animal Health, and Athens manufacturer Meissner Corporation were recognized for their achievements in the life science industry at Georgia Bio’s Georgia Life Sciences Summit, held Oct. 21-22 in Atlanta. The Golden Helix Awards celebrate the contributions of Georgia legislative, academic, corporate, and advocacy leaders working to grow the life science industry and foster strategic partnerships that create a healthier world.