Excited about my Teff grass hay-want to send for testing-must I use a probe for sampling

[EmilyM]

The farmer who grows hay on my farm, agreed to plant some Teff for me this year. we just had it baled yesterday. It looks and smells great. I’m excited about it. I want to have it tested to see if indeed it is low starch. Do I have to use a fancy probe to get the samples or can I pull them by hand?

Thanks

[cutter99]

It is good to use a probe and sample multiple bales. You can usually borrow a probe from your local extension office to core some samples. I would sample between 5-10 bales minimum.

[EmilyM]

thanks.

[Snowdenfarm]

I tested the same hay, from the same field, and the same overly-mature first cutting for six seasons. The first two or three years, I tested the hay without a probe. I would take very small handfuls, from varying depths inside the bale, on ten bales. I finally bought a probe and, since I am testing the same hay, I can see that the results are the same with or without the probe.

[Texarkana]

I don’t have a probe and do the same thing @Snowdenfarm described-- I take handfuls from several different bales, trying to get varying depths and different parts of the bales.

The biggest issue I encounter is getting enough mass of hay, as the handfuls take up a lot more volume than core samples. They fill up the baggies quickly, before you meet the minimum mass recommended for testing.

I haven’t been able to compare mine like snowden, but the results always seem reasonable. I figure it has to be better information than not testing it at all and assuming, right?

[horsepoor]

You can sometimes borrow a probe from your local extension office. I bought a probe since I test every time we buy hay, and it has come in handy - you can’t get from inside the bale (if baled tightly) by just taking handfuls, unless you break open a bunch of bales, and I’m not interested in doing that.

[EmilyM]

thank you for responding everyone. trying to get a loaner from the ag extension.

[Hermein]

If it isn’t baled too tightly, you can use bar-bi-que tongs.