One of the most common issues that arise in customer service at an agricultural testing laboratory is the dispute over different results for samples meant to represent the same whole. That whole could be a specific field, a stack of hay bales, a bin of mixed feed or plants within a field. This is where...Read More

Winter management for forage producers looks quite different from the rest of the year. Many might feel as if there must be something they can do to get a jump on next season. Fertilizer application is ill advised during winter months due to frozen ground and the risk of runoff. Use of heavy equipment for...Read More

Weedy alfalfa is often a concern when water resources are scarce. The weeds sometimes even seem to outcompete the alfalfa in extremely dry years. Weeds can impact forage quality and contribute to toxicities. Ultimately, this reduces the value of the forage and hits the pocket book! Here are 4 reasons to make a plan to...Read More

One objective of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is to convert cropland into grasslands and preserve wildlife habitat. During periods of drought these lands are opened up to emergency haying and grazing to relieve livestock producers during forage supply shortages.  CRP lands are only opened up to haying and grazing after primary nesting season. Therefore,...Read More

Recently, I had a horse owner question the quality of their hay because some bales appeared greener than others and some appeared to be less ‘stemmy’ than others. They submitted three samples from three different bales to run hay analysis for horses. The samples were identified as brown, green and fine. It was interesting to...Read More

It was just a little over a year ago that Chuck Powell, a goatpacker from California called our lab regarding his packgoats and urinary calculi. He was reaching out in a last-ditch effort to determine what was going on with his goats. To determine why they were developing urinary calculi. Mr. Powell had already lost...Read More

As a consultant at a commercial testing laboratory, “Why is my RFV and RFQ different?” is one of the most common questions I receive from producers looking at their forage report. Most often, the question is posed when there is a major difference between the relative feed value (RFV) and relative forage quality (RFQ). The...Read More

The ultimate question of why Ward Laboratories, INC. has a feed department: Why test feeds? Approximately 2 years ago, in 2020 I tried to answer this question in blog post: Value in feed testing: feed analysis pays off in profits. Here we are 2 years later with drought conditions persisting across western United States. These...Read More

Utility hay is low quality hay. Typically, hay categorized as utility hay is high in fiber and low in energy and protein.Upon visual inspection, poor quality hay often contains seed pods, if it is a legume species, or seed heads if it is a grass species. Utility hay is hay that has been harvested past...Read More

Acute nitrate toxicity occurs when animals consume high-nitrate forages for a short period of time. Nitrate is converted to nitrite by rumen microbes as an intermediate step in converting the nitrate to microbial protein. Ruminant animals are specifically at risk, as they bring up the feed bolus for chewing and inhale the nitrite.The nitrite then...Read More

Often, I consult with livestock producers testing forage for their animals. Inevitably there are two numbers on the report they are most concerned with, protein and relative feed value (RFV). Protein is an important value to understand if the forage meets animal requirements. RFV is a useful index to quickly compare or rank forages. However,...Read More

Ward Laboratories, INC. takes the steps from sample receiving to results reporting to ensure your confidence in NIRS analysis of forages. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is commonplace in commercial feed testing laboratories. Most forage samples are ran by NIRS in our lab. Unfortunately, NIRS results undergo more skepticism than wet chemistry methods. However, NIRS is...Read More

Grandpa always said he cut the best hay under a full moon. said a hay customer during a report consultation.This customer was not the first this year who was disappointed in her forage quality. Another gentlemen stated, “I was so on the ball this year, up and cutting by 9am!” I certainly feel for those...Read More

Brown mid-rib forage (BMR) varieties have been around since the early 2000s. Yet, I still find producers aren’t sure about what BMR means to their operation. Traits associated with BMR varieties can impact forage quality and animal performance. First, lets define what BMR really is. Then, we can examine how this trait impacts forage quality...Read More

I receive many phone calls about interpreting a feed report. The interpretation depends on the reason for testing. Some reports help formulate an animals diet. Other reports determine hay quality for buying and selling. At Ward Laboratories, INC. , we provide the Ward Guide to help producers interpret agricultural testing reports. Here are my tips...Read More

First cutting is starting to come in for NIRS analysis here at Ward Laboratories, INC. That means it’s the season for making hay! So, let’s take a look at how agricultural testing can help producers make quality hay from seeding to feeding! Match the hay production system to resources and environment. Observe the field intended...Read More

Even before the ‘bomb cyclone’ hit, it was a heartbreaking spring for livestock producers. I was receiving phone calls of late term abortions and lost calves and cows due to poor nutrition. Before these historic floods, Nebraska and surrounding states were already enduring unusually low temperatures and heavy snow fall. Producers were struggling with guidelines...Read More

The thoroughbred racing season at Fonner Park is quickly approaching. That means feeding race horses for optimal speed. Like other athletes, energy, protein and micro-nutrients are key for optimal performance. Nutritional requirements of horses vary by age, growth stage and training intensity. Maintaining a Body Condition Score of 4-5 throughout development, training and racing is...Read More

As the animal scientist here at Ward Laboratories, INC. my blog posts typically focus on how feed and forage testing can help producers reach animal production goals. However, at the American Foarage and Grasslands Council Annual Conference, soil sampling pastures came up as one of the top ways producers see as economically beneficial. So, this...Read More

Last week was the American Forage and Grasslands Council (AFGC) held their annual conference in conjunction with the NIRS Feed and Forage Consortium (NIRSC). I attended the NIRSC workshops. During these workshops, presenters spoke about proper sample preparation for NIRS analysis and how to create and maintian good prediction model equations. Ward Laboratories, INC. strives to consistently...Read More