Abstract
A method has been proposed for a critical evaluation of alfalfa hay quality by the use of chemical analysis. A modification of the crude fiber method was made so that the remaining ash, which was shown to be largely silica, was included in the crude fiber. A study of regression equations relating total digestible nutrients (TDN) and digestible protein to lignin, crude fiber, “crude fiber plus silica”, and protein revealed that the modified crude fiber was most satisfactory for predicting both TDN and digestible protein. Therefore, determination of dry matter and “crude fiber plus silica” will allow the prediction of TDN and digestible protein content. Studies of hay sampling devices and variation in composition of hay suggest that core samples ⅜-inch by 18-inch from 19 bales of hay in a population will provide a representative sample of that lot of hay for chemical analysis so that 95% of the time the predicted TDN will be within one percentage unit. A table of constants is presented which allows the monetary value of alfalfa hay to be calculated relative to the price of barley and cottonseed meal depending on the crude fiber content of the alfalfa hay.
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