USDA Hay Testing

The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, provides grading and testing standards for hay. These standards are used to determine the quality of hay and its cash value.

Method

• Hay is tested by coring the bale. This means that a probe is drilled into the center of a bale to remove a sample.

Properties

• The hay is graded on its percentage of crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and relative feed value (RFV).

Grades

• An analysis of the hay's quality determines its grade.There are four possible grades: supreme, premium, good, fair and low. The USDA offers a specific definition for each grade.

Market

• The USDA currently tests hay, and reports hay prices in 25 states. Farmers who sell hay in other states also use USDA prices and standards as a guide.

History

• The USDA first established hay standards in 1940. The standards were dropped from use until 1985, when a new set of standards were compiled. The standards of the 1980s relied purely on visual characteristics to determine hay quality. It was not until 1998 that the standards were rewritten to consider nutritional value rather than aesthetics.