Know Your Forage Quality-Test Before You Guess!
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The neutral detergent fiber content of forages helps determine how much forage an animal can consume. Guessing the amount of neutral detergent fiber content in your forages can have serious significance on your animals performance and health. Knowing the nutrient quality and analysis of your forages is crucial to a more profitable and beneficial operation. A simple forage analysis can help you meet your production goals for weight gain and feed consumption while allowing you to make educated decisions to aid your livestock operation.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides producers with the opportunity to analyze their feeds and forages.
The form should be completed online prior to mailing or dropping off samples. Access the online form. Once you’ve completed the form, just click Summary, and your information will be emailed directly to them. You should also print a copy of your form to include with your sample.
REMEMBER: Please be sure to label each sample clearly, AND include an envelope containing your payment (cash/check) (a complete analysis is typically $10) with your name written clearly on the envelope.
SAMPLE SIZE REQUIREMENTS FOR ANALYSIS:
Grain, roughage, home mix, or TMR samples must fill a quart-sized bag. The NCDA&CS Farm Feed Testing Service will not analyze COMMERCIAL FEED SAMPLES.
- Grain = quart-size bag
- Forage sample (collected by a core sampler) = quart-size bag
- Forage sample (collected by a grab sample or by the handful) = gallon-size bag, moderately stuffed
PAYMENT OPTIONS/INFORMATION:
Include a check or money order made payable to NCDA&CS. If paying by credit card: Please indicate as such on your form, and make sure to include your phone number and a member of our staff will call you to process your order. *DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION. They will call you AFTER your sample has been received.
Mailing address if using the USPS:
NC Animal Feed Program Farm Feed Testing Service
070 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1070
Mailing address if using UPS/FedEx
NC Animal Feed Program Farm Feed Testing Service
4400 Reedy Creek Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
If dropping off your sample, it can only be dropped off at their location during normal business hours. Do NOT leave your sample when the building is closed.
Remember, investing in a forage quality analysis is a low-cost way to make educated decisions that will benefit both animal health and the economic health of a livestock operation.