Georgia Farm Bureau will again this year conduct the annual Hay Contest and publish the GFB Quality Hay Directory for buyers and sellers for Georgia grown hay. The contest is designed to encourage farmers to produce better quality hay and the publication continues to be an important marketing tool for our producers and an excellent resource for consumers of quality hay.
Guidelines for the Georgia Farm Bureau Quality Hay Contest are; the contest is open only to Georgia Farm Bureau members who produce Bermuda grass hay (all types/varieties) on their farms. An entry fee of $ 10.00 is required to cover the cost of the lab analysis. The contest winner will be announced at the Georgia Farm Bureau Annual Meeting at Jekyll Island during the GFB Hay Commodity Conference on December 8th.
To enter the contest, fill two, one-gallon Ziploc bags with the Bermuda hay sample you are entering. One should be a core sample or chopped for lab analysis. The second whole sample will be used for visual analysis at the convention. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT EACH SAMPLE BE AS DRY AS POSSIBLE BEFORE PLACING IN THE ZIP LOCK BAG. High moisture will accelerate the build up of mold on the sample and will cause it to be disqualified. Entries must be submitted to the Georgia Farm Bureau office in Summerville no later than October 24. These entries will then be submitted to the Georgia Farm Bureau Commodities/Marketing Department.
To have your hay listed in the 2009 Georgia Farm Bureau Hay Directory, please come by the Georgia Farm Bureau office in Summerville to pickup your application. There is a $10.00 listing fee for those not submitting to the hay contest. Those with hay contest entries can be listed in the directory for free.

For more information, please contact Tabatha, Chattooga County Farm Bureau Office Manager, at 706-857-3214 or by email at tlfowler@gfb.org.