Hoosier Hay Contest winners announced at 2024 Hay Quality Seminar
The Indiana Forage Council announced winners of their Hoosier Hay Contest, a friendly competition intended to encourage the production of high-quality hay and educate producers about the importance of hay quality. (Purdue University photo/Anna Morrow) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Indiana Forage Council’s (IFC) Hoosier Hay Contest, which accepted entries from June through September, concluded Nov. 12 at the 2024 Hay Quality Seminar with the announcement of the contest winners. The Hoosier Hay Contest encouraged Indiana producers to cultivate higher-quality hay during the 2024 season, and the seminar reinforced why forage quality matters.
Nick Minton, IFC director and Purdue Extension beef systems specialist, led the virtual seminar titled “Hey There, Hay Here.” Minton explained how feeding low-quality forage can lead to deteriorating body condition and animal health for ruminant livestock. The recording of the seminar is posted on the Purdue Agronomy YouTube channel and can also be found at purdue.ag/hayquality .
“Indiana Forage Council directors Nick Minton and Jason Tower have done an excellent job working to support producers in understanding their forage quality through the hay quality contest,” said Anna Morrow, IFC president. “They have used a friendly competition to encourage better practices and to educate producers on the importance of hay quality.”
Purdue Extension supported the contest, which was sponsored by SureTech Laboratories, Hutson Inc., Cisco Seeds, the Indiana Beef Cattle Association, the Indiana Dairy Producers and the Indiana Sheep Association.
Seventy-one samples from 26 producers, representing 16 different Indiana counties, were submitted to the 2024 contest.
Prize money went to first-, second- and third-place entries in both hay and baleage categories. First place received $250 and a one-year IFC membership, and second and third place received $150 and $100, respectively. Contest winners are listed below.
Grass hay
First place — Grant Weyer, Dubois County
Second place — Loren Coon, Montgomery County
Third place — Grant Weyer, Dubois County
Legume hay
First place — Martru LLC, Marshall County
Second place — Wesley Swindell, Hancock County
Third place — Wesley Swindell, Hancock County
Mixed hay
First place — Troy Schipper, Miami County
Second place — Wesley Swindell, Hancock County
Third place — Roger Robinson, Orange County
Grass baleage
First place — Kevin Abbot, Clark County
Second place — High Steaks Farm, Clark County
Third place — High Steaks Farm, Clark County
Legume baleage
First place — High Steaks Farm, Clark County
Mixed hay baleage
First place — Kevin Abbot, Clark County
Second place — High Steaks Farm, Clark County
Third place — High Steaks Farm, Clark County
About Purdue Agriculture
Purdue University’s College of Agriculture is one of the world’s leading colleges of agricultural, food, life and natural resource sciences. The college is committed to preparing students to make a difference in whatever careers they pursue; stretching the frontiers of science to discover solutions to some of our most pressing global, regional and local challenges; and, through Purdue Extension and other engagement programs, educating the people of Indiana, the nation and the world to improve their lives and livelihoods. To learn more about Purdue Agriculture, visit this site.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Writer: Anna Morrow
Media contact: Devyn Ashlea Raver, draver@purdue.edu
Agricultural Communications: Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu, 765-494-8415