SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Now that hay season is in full swing, it is a good time to pull hay samples for entry in the Ozark Empire Fair Hay Show in Springfield, says University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Tim Schnakenberg.

Entry deadline is July 17. To enter, contact the nearest MU Extension specialist. They are available to help pull the core samples from the 10-bale entry.

The show allows either dry hay or haylage in conventional small bales or large, high-moisture forage, says Schnakenberg. It is best to allow about two weeks before collecting the hay bale sample and four weeks for haylage.

Space at the fair only allows for displaying the Champions and Reserves in the two divisions. Within each division the classes are split into legumes, cool-season grass, warm-season perennial grass, grass-legume mix and summer/winter annual grass. The educational hay exhibit at the fair features a display of booklets with exhibitor data that includes test results from Custom Laboratory in Monett. Past exhibitors credit the show with marketing assistance.

The class placings will be based on relative forage quality (RFQ). Data in addition to RFQ will include moisture, crude protein, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber and total digestible nutrients (TDN).

The forage must have been harvested in Missouri in 2023. Exhibitors are limited to two entries per class. No more than one entry per field per cutting may be made.

Premiums are limited to ribbons, rosettes and cash prizes for the top six entries in each class, says Schnakenberg.

Sponsors of this year’s hay show are Pennington Seed, Crown Power and Equipment, Green Seed, MFA Inc. and Custom Laboratory.

For more details, contact Schnakenberg at the MU Extension Center in Stone County at 417-357-6812.

The hay show is held in conjunction with the 2023 Ozark Empire Fair, July 27-Aug. 5, at the fairgrounds in Springfield.