Oklahoma Alfalfa
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station

FORAGE QUALITY ANALYSIS 
BY OSU EXTENSION 

  
Alfalfa hay quality is important to animal performance and hay marketing strategies. Livestock producers should utilize forage testing to reduce feed costs and maximize production by incorporating test results in ration formulation. For commercial hay producers, a system of selling the best hay and feeding the remainder is generally a profitable and efficient use of alfalfa.   Therefore, a hay quality test is a good investment.   

The number of forage samples received by OSU Soil, Water and Forage Analytical Laboratory (SWFAL) was over 4,000 last year; and the majority of samples were alfalfa. SWFAL routinely tests forage samples for:   

• acid detergent fiber (ADF)   
• neutral detergent fiber (NDF)   
• crude protein (CP)   
• dry matter (DM)   
• nitrate   

From the values above we calculate:   

• net energy from ADF   
• relative feed value (RFV) from ADF and NDF.   

The types of analysis performed on all the samples in 1996 are shown in the following figure (Routine analysis includes DM, CP, ADF and NDF):   
 

Laboratory results are only as good as the sample submitted, therefore, it is extremely important to obtain a random but representative sample of hay for testing. See Extension Facts No. 2589 for more details about Collecting Forage Samples for Analysis. We do our best in the laboratory to reduce turn-around time and to ensure high precision of the testing results by implementing a comprehensive quality assurance and quality control program and by better training our technicians.   

We have been participating in the forage testing certification program sponsored by The National Hay Association and The American Forage and Grassland Council in recent years. SWFAL is again certified for 1997 on all the chemical analysis. As a matter of fact it is the only certified lab in Oklahoma by this program. 
 

  
For additional information:  
Forage Quality Interpretations. OSU Extension Facts F-2117   

Hay Judging. OSU Extension Facts F-2588   

Collecting Forage Samples for Analysis. OSU Extension Facts F-2589  

Minimizing Losses in Hay Storage and Feeding

Understanding Forage Quality