By Samantha Shackelford, 2025 Sunbelt Ag Expo Social Media Intern
As a first-year Sunbelt Ag Expo Intern, I am extremely excited for the Southeastern Hay Contest and the in-field hay demos. I have been following the Southeastern Hay Contest on social media for the last year now. I am so excited to find out who is going to win this year. I find their posts to be very engaging and I look forward to their Trivia Tuesday every week. Being able to see the equipment in-use during the hay demos helps me understand this area of agriculture better.
The Southeastern Hay Contest (SEHC) has proudly recognized regional producers who grow and harvest high-quality hay for the last 21 years. The contest was originally developed by Extension agents for Southeast forage producers. The SEHC continues to fulfill its mission to raise awareness about the importance of hay testing and managing livestock feed needs through the determination of nutritive value.
The samples are ranked based on relative forage quality (RFQ), and the top 3 entries in each category receive a cash prize. The overall winner also receives a choice of the use of a new Massey Ferguson DM Series disc mower or RK Series rotary rake for the 2026 hay production season, plus $2,000 in cash! The winner will be announced on Tuesday, October 14th, at 9:45 a.m. at the RW Griffin Stage.
