07/24/2026
LOUISIANA STATE HAY CONTEST
SPONSORED BY THE LSU AGCENTER
Rules and Regulations
PURPOSE: The Louisiana State Hay Contest is designed to provide a showcase for the
presentation of top-quality hay and to recognize the producers of this hay. Hay is the only
agricultural commodity that is bought and sold without quality and/or weight guaranteed.
There is considerable variation in hay quality, and the purchaser or user of the hay should be
aware of the quality to facilitate planning a winter-feeding strategy. The Louisiana State Hay
Contest will provide educational information to producers regarding hay quality and
contribute to Extension efforts in Louisiana to enhance production and efficient use of highquality stored forage.
PARTICIPANTS: The Louisiana State Fair Hay Contest is open to producers of hay or baleage
throughout Louisiana. Entries to the Louisiana State Hay Contest must be grown by a
Louisiana producer and the Extension Agent for the parish in which the hay was produced or
the parish in which the producer lives must be willing to verify that the sample represents hay
from a field of at least five acres.
EVALUATION PROCESS: For consistency of forage analyses of hay samples in the Louisiana
State Hay Contest, all analytical results for hay samples must come from the same laboratory.
Therefore, all entries in the hay contest must be submitted to the LSU AgCenter Forage
Quality Analysis Lab for evaluation of forage nutritive value. The standard cost for sample
analysis (currently $15) will be required for each sample submitted. Results of the lab
analysis will serve as the basis for hay placement in the contest.
SAMPLING:
A representative sample must be taken.A tube-type hay probe (available at most parish/county extension offices) should
be used to take core samples of the hay bales being entered. Most of the
extension offices have a probe available for use. Square bales should be sampled from the end, with cores being taken near the
center of the end.
A minimum of six large round bales or 10 small square bales should be sampled
from each field and/or cutting to be submitted.
Hay from the field being sampled should be cut at the same time, at the same
stage of maturity, be all the same variety or mixture, and fertilized alike.The cores obtained from the field or cutting should be combined into a composite
sample for chemical analysis. The composite sample should be put into a ziplock
plastic bag and sealed.
A completed sample submission form and the core sample should be mailed to:
LSU AgCenter Forage Quality Analysis Lab, 104 M. B. Sturgis Hall on LSU
Campus, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Please enclose a check made to LSU
AgCenter ($15 per sample) for the forage quality analysis.
Deadline to enter: Postmarked by October 1, 2026.
QUALITY ANALYSIS:
JUDGING:Each submitted sample will be analyzed for crude protein percentage
(CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and total
digestible nutrients (TDN), and Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) will be
calculated.
Winning samples will be displayed at the Louisiana State Fair in
Shreveport.
Samples entered in the Louisiana State Hay Contest will be evaluated
within classes based on the type of forage.
Classes of forage will be:
o Warm-season perennial grass hay (bahiagrass, bermudagrass,
mixed grasses, etc.);
o Cool-season annual hay (ryegrass, small grains, etc.).
o Miscellaneous legumes or grass legume mix containing a
significant amount of legume forage (alfalfa, clovers, perennial
peanut, winter peas, cowpea, mung bean, etc.)
o Baleage (warm and cool season forages)
o NOTE: The Louisiana State Hay Contest Committee reserves
the right to place entries in classes deemed most appropriate.
Samples will be placed according to the RFQ value.
Each class winner will be awarded a buckle and banner. Second-place
winners will receive a banner. An overall Grand Champion Forage will be
selected. A customized buckle will be awarded to the overall winner.
Winners will be recognized at the Statewide Forage Conference on
December 4, 2026, in Alexandria, LA
