GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On Jan 5th, 2021, during the American Forage and Grassland Council annual conference in Savannah, GA, the winners of the 2020 Southeastern Hay Contest (SEHC) were recognized. Traditionally, the winners of the contest are announced during a ceremony at the Sunbelt Ag Expo. Unfortunately, the expo, which should have been held last October, was canceled due to COVID19. A video of the event in Savannah and much more content relating to the SEHC is available through our team’s Facebook page.
Can we produce quality hay in Florida? Yes we can!
There are seven categories in the SEHC (Warm Season Perennial Grass Hay, Alfalfa Hay, Perennial Peanut Hay, Cool Season Perennial Grass Hay, Mixed/Annual/Other Grass Hay, Grass Baleage, and Legume Baleage). The 16th edition of the SEHC featured five Florida producers placing in the top 3 in one of the categories. Bill Conrad, of Bascom, submitted the second-best overall hay sample in the entire contest and placed first in the perennial peanut hay category. Bill’s sample was second only to Brian Johnson’s (McKenney, VA) Grand Prize winning alfalfa hay. Along with Bill, McGehee Farms, High Springs, and Williams Farms, from Graceville placed second and third, respectively, in the perennial peanut hay category. The Perennial Peanut hay category is sponsored by the Perennial Peanut Producers Association. Sewell Farms, Chipley, and Rob Woods, Vernon, placed second and third place in the legume baleage category, sponsored by Southeast AgriSeed. Florida forage producers submitted samples in five of the seven categories.
Click here for video interviews with some of Florida’s winners
–Marcelo Wallau, UF/IFAS
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