2007 Hopkins County Hay Show Champion is Dr. Roger K. Arnold, who grew the winning hay on
his Birthright beef cattle farm, located on Highway 19 North.

 

"A Sample of the Season's Bounty"

Arnold and Koon Brothers
Tops In 2007 Hay Show

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

With the first frost of the season near at hand and in a year that is likely to be a record hay production year for Hopkins County, when more tonage has been produced than any year on record, the annual Hopkins County Hay Show will feature the best of hay produced in the area. The winners have been named and will receive their prizes at the Hopkins County Agricultural Worker's Breakfast, at 6:30 a.m., on Thursday, November 1st, in the Ag Worker's Building, located in Buford Park.

"We had some top quality hay produced in Hopkins County, this year, despite problems with many producers getting the hay cured and stored, between rains," advised County Agricultural Agent, Larry Spradlin. "Certainly our hay producers were blessed with a very wet year and plenty of moisture to grow top quality hay, but many had to 'dodge' those rains, when they were trying to cut, bale, and store their hay crop! With agriculture it is never a trouble-free year and there seems to always be some problems in getting hay produced!"

 

 

"We needed a great hay production year in Hopkins County, this year, to help our local farmers and livestock producers with the consquences of the past two devastating drouth years in the area," continued Spradlin. "And, the Good Lord shined down on Hopkins County!"

Roger Arnold, a beef cattle producer in the Birthright Community has been named the Champion 2007 Hay Producer, with a Coastal Bermudagrass-Marshall Rye Grass mixed bale, raised on his farm. The Champion sample tested 17.15% protein and "was a really nice bale of hay, with proper coloring and texture," according to judges of this year's show. Arnold advised that the winning bale was from the first cutting of the season and that he had sown the Marshall Rye Grass in his coastal meadows, last fall, when he saw his Coastal Bermuda being affected by the drouth. Arnold noted that he had an abundance of hay on his farm, this year, compared to limited supplies the previous two years, when he was "scraping everywhere for forage to feed his cattle." "It's been a great year for producing hay," exclaimed Arnold. "You don't get them much better than the season that we've just experienced. Sure, I've had some problems getting hay put up as I watched the clouds for the next rain, but it sure is nice to have forage still in your pasture and a good supply of winter hay to feed the cattle."

 

 

Koyt Koon, right, and his brother Kory Koon, were the second and third place winners in the 2007 Hay
Show, with their hay grown on the family farm.

 

Brothers, Koyt and Kory Koon, of the Bonanza Community, took the second and third place positions with their entries in this year's show. Koyt's bale of  "Sun-grazer," a hybrid Bermudagrass, was selected as the second place winner in the contest. His sample tested 16.17% protein and was a high quality sample. The hay was grown on property located near their home in the Bonanza Community.

 

 

Kory Koon's coastal bermudagrass bale was judged to the third position, for it's texture, leafing qualities, and coloring, and exhibited a 15.25% protein content. The Koon brothers are members of a large family dairy and beef operation, with forage production in the Bonanza, Divide, Brashear, and Sulphur Bluff communities of Hopkins County. Both samples of the Koon hay was 4th cutting.

Other Hay Show winners will be announced at Thursday's breakfast and the top ten bales will be auctioned, as an annual fundraising effort for the Hopkins County Agriculture Worker's organization. The Ag Workers invite everyone out for breakfast on Thursday morning at 6:30 to participate in the auction and to congratulate this year's Hay Show winners.

 

______