B-1088

Hay quality and marketing in the Rocky Mountain Front Range and High Plains
By Alan M. Gray
Department of Plant Sciences

Interregional hay trade has grown since the early 1990s, increasing the need for objective hay classification standards. Hay produced in the West is marketed to other regions on the basis of a forage quality analysis. Standardized evaluation methods establish the marketability and feed value of hay and other conserved forages.

Hay quality and marketing in the Rocky Mountain Front Range and High Plains explains forage quality analysis terminology, discusses important factors for producers to consider when trying sell hay, and gives the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s market visual descriptions of hay quality. Furthermore, this 12-page bulletin provides tips for successful visual hay appraisals and hay-marketing strategies.