2008 Joint Annual Meeting (5-9 Oct. 2008): Louisiana and Mississippi Forage Producer Sample Submissions Appearing by Years, Species, and Utilization Types.

Nine years of forage quality analysis requests from producers in Louisiana (LA) and Mississippi (MS) may reveal regional aspects of forage production management.  The database of the most recent eight years of producers' forage sample analysis results were reviewed by agricultural regions, states, and years.  Based on the counts of annual forage sample submissions, since 1999, bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum), and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) have been major monoculture forages tested by area beef and dairy producers.   Ryegrass and corn silage were the most commonly requested forage analyses in southeast LA, which is the state's dairy area.  Other non-dairy areas submitted bermudagrass samples most frequently and summer grass mixes were the second most common submittal.  Hay is the most frequently tested forage type in Louisiana and Mississippi.  Area dairy producers submitted about the same numbers of corn silage samples and ryegrass samples, reflecting more demand on high energy feeds than producers in any other area.  Small grain forage samples represented less than 5% of the total submission, indicating more utilization possibility in the future.