*Wyoming hay producers continued their winning ways last week at the 2015 World’s Forage Analysis Superbowl at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.
Harlan Fegler, of Fegler Farms in Arapahoe, won the Commercial Hay Division.
“This is the largest dairy show in the world,” said Scott Keith, livestock genetics program manager for the Wyoming Business Council. “This has opened whole new markets and created awareness about Wyoming hay.”
The winner gets a $1,500 check, Keith added, but the recognition is the big driver behind the competition. Wyoming hay producers routinely win or place high at the event.
The Business Council’s Agribusiness Division pays the entrance fees for the top five producers from the Wyoming State Fair Hay Show, but approximately 20 producers from around the state receive exposure in Wisconsin.
Judges determine winners by looking at the hay’s protein content, how digestible it is and how much milk cattle can produce after eating the hay.
“Dairy farmers want to be more efficient, so they are looking for the most efficient hay,” Keith said.
Wyoming hay has proved its worth in the last decade. The Forage Analysis Superbowl has opened markets for the state’s hay producers in places like Texas and Colorado, Keith explained.
In all, six Wyoming producers placed in the Commercial Hay and Grass Hay divisions this year.
Commercial Hay Division
Champion: Fegler Farms, Arapahoe, Harlan Fegler
Third place: Greer Ranch, Hyattville, Dave Greer
Fourth Place: Lazy 2 K Farm, Wheatland, Kellie Hinman
Sixth place: Hardrock Farms, Wheatland, David Hinman
Tenth place: Anderson Farms, Lovell, Clint Anderson
Grass Hay Division
Eighth place – Danko Farms, Powell, Jerry Danko
The World’s Forage Analysis Superbowl provides forage growers from across the United States and Canada an opportunity to vie for forage awards by entering their high-quality samples in a dairy or commercial division. It also gives producers an opportunity to exhibit their product and talk with potential customers. Over 850 companies from around the world exhibited products from the dairy industry to the show’s 71,000 attendees this year.
About the Wyoming Business Council. Our mission is to increase Wyoming’s prosperity. We envision a Wyoming where industries are strong, diverse and expanding. Small business is a big deal. Communities have the highest quality of life. Wyoming is the technology center of the High Plains. Wyoming knows no boundaries. Please go to www.wyomingbusiness.org for more information.