A total of 266 samples from 16 different states comprised the field of entries for this year’s World Forage Analysis Superbowl. With the cancellation of World Dairy Expo due to COVID-19 concerns, the awards program for the forage quality contest was held virtually last Wednesday.
Hardrock Farms, which is owned and operated by David and Teri Hinman in Wheatland, Wyo., submitted this year’s highest quality forage entry and was named Grand Champion Forage Producer. They received a $2,500 cash award. Hardrock Farms’ Commercial Hay entry was fourth-cut alfalfa from 2019 and had a relative forage quality (RFQ) of 405 with a milk per ton value of 4,062. The award was sponsored by Kemin Animal Nutrition & Health and carries a $2,500 cash prize.
The Grand Champion First-Time Entrant in this year’s contest was Dividing Ridge Farm in Fairhope, Pa. Their entry was a brown midrib (BMR) corn silage sample that had a 30-hour neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility of 71.2% and a milk per ton value of 4,000. The First-Time Entrant receives $2,000 and the award is sponsored by Kuhn North America.
Forage entries are evaluated based on forage analysis (70%) and visual assessment (30%). Dairyland Labs, located in DePere, Wis., performed the laboratory testing of each sample.
More than $26,000 in cash prizes was doled out to the top five placing finishers in each division.
This year, Quality Counts awards were given based on the lowest undigestible neutral detergent fiber at 12 hours (uNDFom12). The criteria for the Quality Counts awards changes each year and is unknown to participants at the time of sample submission.
Taking home the Quality Counts honors in the hay/haylage categories was Lazy 2K, Wheatland, Wyo. Their commercial hay entry had an uNDFom12 value of 8.8%. The sponsor for this award was Croplan by Winfield United.
In the corn silage classes, the Quality Counts award went to Johnson Farms LLC, in Daggett, Mich., with a standard corn silage sample having an uNDFom12 value of 18.05%.
The World Forage Analysis Superbowl is organized in partnership between Dairyland Laboratories Inc., Hay & Forage Grower, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, University of Wisconsin, and World Dairy Expo.
The top five placings in each of forage divisions were as follows:
Baleage Division – Sponsored by Agri-King Inc.
1st Place – Kendall Guither, Walnut, Ill.
2nd Place – Jenson Family Farms, Elk Mound, Wis.
3rd Place – Joseph Beachy, Bonduel, Wis.
4th Place – Evergreen View LLC, Waldo, Wis.
5th Place – Katherine Guither, Walnut, Ill.
Commercial Hay Division – Sponsored by NEXGROW Alfalfa
1st Place – Bappe Farm, Riverton, Wyo.
2nd Place – Lazy 2K, Wheatland, Wyo.
3rd Place – Cross Roads Farm LLC, Center, Colo.
4th Place – Rooster Ranch, Casper, Wyo.
5th Place – Dick and Powell Farm, Cordell, Okla.
Dairy Hay Division– Sponsored by W-L Alfalfa
1st Place – Lone Hickory Farm, Penn Yan, N.Y.
2nd Place – Don & Nancy Hasselquist, Osceola, Wis.
3rd Place – Olson Farms, Lena, Wis.
4th Place – Agreda Acres, Byron, Ill.
5th Place – Town and Country Farms, Melrose, Wis.
Grass Hay Division – Sponsored by Barenbrug USA
1st Place – Lazy 2K, Wheatland, Wyo.
2nd Place – Hardrock Farms, Wheatland, Wyo.
3rd Place – Stefan Hay Company, North Collins, N.Y.
4th Place – Olson Farms, Lena, Wis.
5th Place – Joseph Beachy, Bonduel, Wis.
Alfalfa Haylage Division – Sponsored by Ag-Bag by RCI
1st Place – Corner Oak Farm, Grand Blanc, Mich.
2nd Place – Royal Vista Holsteins, Pickett, Wis.
3rd Place – Ethan Haywood, Hastings, Mich.
4th Place – Sand Creek Dairy, Hastings, Mich.
5th Place – Austin Haywood, Hastings, Mich.
Mixed/Grass Haylage Division – Sponsored by Lallemand Animal Nutrition
1st Place – Olson Farms, Lena, Wis.
2nd Place – Legacy Farms, Shell Lake, Wis.
3rd Place – Brost Farms, Medford, Wis.
4th Place – Morning View Dairy LLC, Merrill, Wis.
5th Place – Leuer Dairy, Oconto, Wis.
Standard Corn Silage Division – Sponsored by Scherer Inc.
1st Place – Jenson Family Farms., Elk Mound, Wis.
2nd Place – Cla-Cor Dairy, Eastony, Mo.
3rd Place – Johnson Farms LLC, Daggett, Mich.
4th Place – Platte/Spitzley Dairy, Westphalia, Mich.
5th Place – O’Harrows Family Farm, Oconto Falls, Wis.
BMR Corn Silage Division – Sponsored by Brevant seeds
1st Place – West-Vale-Vu Dairy, Nashville, Mich.
2nd Place – Barbland Farms-South, Fabius, N.Y.
3rd Place – Dale Amstutz, Sterling, Ohio
4th Place – Raes Dairy LLC, Phelps, N.Y.
5th Place – Thornapple Farms, Leicester, N.Y.
In addition to the division and special awards sponsors listed above, the 2020 World Forage Analysis Superbowl was made possible by Platinum Sponsor, Brevant seeds. Additional support was provided by general sponsors, New Holland, National Hay Association, Passion Ag Inc., and Provimi.
For more information, visit foragesuperbowl.org. Also, be sure to check out the new YouTube channel, which features all of this year’s Dairy-Forage Seminars.
