WATERVILLE — At the 2024 Maine Forage Conference in November, University of Maine Cooperative Extension recognized the winning farms of the Maine Hay Contest: Hardy Farm in Farmington, Melody Ridge Farm in Pittsfield and Conant Acres in Canton.
Matthew Sneller, forage manager at Conant Acres, left, receives the third place award in the Maine Hay Contest from Jaime Garzon, UMaine Extension assistant professor and forage educator. Submitted photo
Hardy Farm, an organic dairy operation run by Henry and Teresa Hardy, has around 85 registered Ayrshires and 20 Holsteins, including cows and young stock. Michael and Hillary Clewley, owners of Melody Ridge Farm, raise grass-fed lamb, Dorper and Katahdin hair sheep, meat rabbits and ducks. They also sell rough-sawn lumber, cedar fence materials and seasoned firewood. Matthew Sneller is the forage manager at Conant Acres, a fifth-generation family farm that offers farm-fresh milk, cheese, meat, seasonal produce and other specialty Maine products, according to a news release from Jaime Garzon with the extension.
Teresa, left, and Henry Hardy receive first place in the Maine Hay Contest from Jaime Garzon, UMaine Extension assistant professor and forage educator. Submitted photo
With over 100,000 acres, hay is the state’s third largest crop and was valued at nearly $39 million in 2023, second only to blueberries and potatoes. Hay quality is based on factors such as moisture and fiber content, protein concentration and digestibility which together make up the relative feed quality (RFQ) index. For good hay, the RFQ index should be greater than 150. This year’s winners received RFQ scores of 180, 166 and 165, exemplifying the quality hay that can be produced in Maine.
Michael Clewley, left, receives second place in the Maine Hay Contest from Jaime Garzon, UMaine Extension assistant professor and forage educator. Submitted photo
The Maine Hay Contest seeks to help producers grow better hay. Extension staff visit each participant’s farm to collect the hay sample and provide guidance on improving growing and management practices. Staff handle the transportation and analysis in a certified laboratory,and follow up by sharing and interpreting the results. Through this process, growers can gain a better understanding of the quality of their hay and how to improve it.
For more information visit extension.umaine.edu.
Check out upcoming area events!
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.