Producer Tips RFQ Scale With Top-Quality Hay

Massey Ferguson’s hay and forage products are known as the most innovative, efficient and powerful equipment in the industry, and are used by the top producers in the region. That’s why we’re proud to congratulate Beeson Farm from Climax, North Carolina, as the 2022 winner of the Southeastern Hay Contest (SEHC). Of the 371 competition entries, Beeson Farm’s alfalfa hay outperformed the pack with an impressive relative forage quality (RFQ) of 357. The RFQ scale typically tops out at 300.

The SEHC proudly recognizes regional producers who grow and harvest high-quality hay. This is the 18th year of the hay contest, which began and remains as a regional educational program to spotlight the importance of hay testing and feed management based on quantifiable nutrition values for hay. As the overall winner, Beeson Farm is awarded $2,000 and can choose to use a new Massey Ferguson DM Series disc mower or RK Series rotary rake for the 2023 hay production season.

Despite a forage production season plagued with inflated input costs, record-high fertilizer and diesel prices, and adverse weather conditions, producers yielded some of the highest RFQ indexes ever recorded. We recognize our local and state extension personnel for guiding and educating producers on how best to balance agronomic productivity with economic benefits. And Massey Ferguson is proud to sponsor the SEHC as it continues to bring awareness to the importance of hay testing and managing feed demands based on nutritive value.