CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 07/06/17

Annual Southeastern Hay Contest deadline set for September 21

By Merritt Melancon, Dennis Hancock

While laymen may look at a farm field dotted with round bales and think that those bales are all the same, forage farmers and livestock producers know the truth. Hay quality varies widely from producer to producer and from year to year.

Each fall, the Southeastern Hay Contest gives forage and baleage producers across the Southeast the chance to show off the quality of their hay.

This year’s contest features cash prizes for the winners of all seven categories, as well as free use of Massey Ferguson-brand hay equipment for the production season. The deadline for this year’s competition is Sept. 21. Winners will be recognized as part of the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo in Moultrie, Georgia, Oct. 17-19.

For more than a decade, the Southeastern Hay Contest has been spotlighting quality hay and baleage production in the region. The Cooperative Extension programs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have organized the contest since its inception.

“We hope every quality hay producer from Texas to Virginia will enter for a chance to win,” said Dennis Hancock, UGA Cooperative Extension forage specialist. “Our goal is to demonstrate the potential to produce quality hay and baleage in the Southeast. Just as important, we want to highlight the technology that makes it all possible.”

Forage growers in the Southeast have increased the quality of their forage as they’ve recognized a need for efficiency due to high input costs.

“The key to success has always been timely management,” said Hancock. Good management has been made more efficient through the use of improved forage varieties, advanced harvest equipment and other technologies that have come to the market during the last decade, he said. “It is hard to recall a more exciting time in the hay and forage industry.”

The contest’s title sponsor will provide the use of a new Massey Ferguson RK Series rotary rake for the 2017 hay production season and $1,000 cash as the grand prize for this year’s contest.

Cash prizes will be provided to first-, second- and third-place winners in each of the seven categories:

  • Warm-season perennial grass hay (sponsored by R.W. Griffin Industries)
  • Alfalfa hay (sponsored by America’s Alfalfa)
  • Perennial peanut hay (sponsored by the Perennial Peanut Producers Association)
  • Cool-season perennial grass hay (sponsored by Inland Tarp and Liner)
  • Mixed annual or other hay (sponsored by Athens Seed Company)
  • Grass baleage (sponsored by Georgia Twine)
  • Legume baleage (sponsored by Southeast AgriSeeds)

The deadline for entry into the Southeastern Hay Contest is 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21. Visit sehaycontest.com for registration information and rules.

Follow the Southeastern Hay Contest on Twitter (@SEHayContest) and Facebook (facebook.com/SEHayContest) for periodic articles, updates and timely information on producing quality hay and baleage. Visit sunbeltexpo.com for more information about the event at the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo.

Merritt Melancon, a public relations manager for the UGA Terry College of Business, previously served as a public relations coordinator for the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Extension.

Dennis Hancock serves Extension Forage Specialist for UGA Cooperative Extension.

Authors:
Merritt Melancon
Dennis Hancock
Experts/Sources:
Dennis Hancock
The deadline for this year's Southeastern Hay Contest is Sept. 21. Winners will be recognized as part of the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo in Moultrie, Georgia, Oct. 17-19.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
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.
Combining data collection and analysis with plant pathology, precision agriculture and robotics, the UGA team will build a photographic library of the foliar symptoms caused by onion diseases and other physiological disorders, feed them into the AI software, and use machine learning to identify the diseases based on pattern and color recognition from the images. CAES News
UGA uses AI, robotics to improve Georgia’s Vidalia sweet onion crop 10/23/24 Jordan Powers
A multidisciplinary team of UGA researchers aims to enhance the competitiveness of Vidalia onion growers in Georgia by providing them with the ability to confidently detect onion diseases early, enabling them to make management decisions on their crop at a critical time. These abilities, researchers say, should result in increased yield and quality of marketable onions and an overall increase in efficiency and productivity.
Jennifer Jo Thompson shops for locally grown produce at the Athens Farmers Market. CAES News
CAES anthropologist works to build sustainable food systems 10/21/24 Emily Cabrera
Jennifer Jo Thompson's work is situated at the intersection of science, health and food systems. A researcher in the University of Georgia Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Thompson uses her background in medical anthropology to engage with policy and social justice to improve sustainability in agriculture and food systems. Learn more about her journey to academia and ongoing projects to build sustainable food systems in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Gavin Shytle CAES News
Gavin Shytle changes the game with UGA Grounds Crew 10/01/24
It’s a special moment to step inside Sanford Stadium and walk across that sprawling green field between the hedges. While the grass beneath your feet may not always be your first thought at the Freshman Welcome or Commencement, it is for Gavin Shytle. Keeping the turf safe, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing is the sworn duty of Shytle and his fellow turfgrass management majors. Before athletes even hit the ground running, he makes sure the ground is prepped for them.
Hurricane Helene rainfall forecast, sept. 25 CAES News
Hurricane Helene expected to cause catastrophic damage in Southeast 09/26/24 Pam Knox
University of Georgia Weather Network Director Pam Knox provides updates and analysis on the projected impact of Hurricane Helene, expected to strengthen to a Category 4 storm before making landfall. “I am running out of words to describe the catastrophe this may be, but most people that live in these areas have never experienced a storm like this before,” said Knox, agricultural climatologist in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “They will be totally unprepared for what they will have to deal with.”
Cairo, Georgia CAES News
New funding for UGA faculty to address rural issues 09/16/24 Baker Owens
The Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty at the University of Georgia has announced the list of funded faculty seed grants to address issues in rural Georgia. The grants offer funding between $5,000 and $10,000 for faculty to engage with rural Georgians on issues that are critical for their communities. The program encourages collaboration between faculty in UGA schools and colleges with faculty in Public Service and Outreach and UGA Cooperative Extension already working throughout rural Georgia.