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Little River, TX | Chris,
You do what your customer is willing to pay for, or what will "Make The Sale"!
From what you say, your market will not pay for feed value information.
For the record I stopped paying for a feed analysis a year ago. That said every cutting from each field is sampled and analyzed for mineral levels.
For the record you can use the percent nitrogen Times 6.25 to find the Crude Protein. For alfalfa I have a base whole top analysis that I grade against.(4.0608% N or 28.8% CP)
My market responds best to 20% CP or 3.20% N.
The regressive trend line for nitrogen is reasonably flat and useable. So in theory the percentages for P, K, &c will be 78.6% of the levels for the 28.8% CP analysis. The problem is for most of the elements the yield / mineral level ratio is not a simple linier progression. Each has it's own fairly unique bell curve. This involves computations that are beyond my abilities using data that I do not have.
So for most I "adjust" some of the values to something that looks reasonable at 20% CP/3.20% N. Not Real Scientific, but it works for me. Then the computed values for 18% CP to 22% CP will be reasonably close.
I say reasonably close because we can expect the reported values to have a plus or minus scatter of 10%. Mostly due to natural variability within each field. The reason for sending off a wash tub full of hay probes is to reduce the variability spread.
I sample three small square bales in each 8 acre block.
The economics:
A simple Hay analysis cost $20 with a double handful of computed feed values, and 5 minerals. N (CP), P, K, Mg, & Ca.
A chemical hay analysis cost $30 with all the but one critical element, Boron.
The plant analysis is $20 which is just all the minerals including Boron, with two exceptions.
If I ask for them for molybdenum, it cost an extra $20. For an chlorine there is another $10. The whole package is $50 but only one time a year do I want the Moly information, and even less often chlorine.
In the past I would run a plant analysis the last year in a stand, and again the first year back in alfalfa. Plus a hay analysis for each cutting from each field.
The current system has a slightly less annual cost, and it still gives me enough information to establish an asking price plus it helps me monitor the fertility levels.
I only have to satisfy my curiosity, not the needs of a dairy in a different state. Fact is all my dairy hay customers have a Goat Dairy rather than a Cow Dairy. As the Goat Dairy operators gain knowledge for meeting the nutritional needs of their animals. The most accurate feed value indicator is the amount of milk in the tank. | |
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Follow up to my hay testing question - Sell it or Feed it?
