Now that Tess cannot have high sugar in her hay (I’m soaking all of her hay), I’m trying to make sure I understand the amount of sugar in whatever hay I purchase.
Since I purchase about 80 bales at a time, it makes total sense for me to test the hay I buy
The Founder Warrior told me about Dairy One Forage Analysis Lab. She also gave me a kit that she had handy in her truck.
But even if you don’t have a kit given to you – it is really easy.
All you have to do is go to their site and contact them, they’ll send out whatever you need.
Click image to go to website
THE KIT
The kit was simply an order form (which I am sure you could download and print…), a baggie (which I’m sure you have around) and an addressed plastic envelope (which I am sure you could duplicate).
Or just call them and they’ll tell you what you need and what to do:
Dairy One
730 Warren Road
Ithaca, New York 14850
Ph: 1.800.496.3344 or 607.257.1272
Fax: 1.607.257.6808
The kit… order form, baggie and mailing envelope. Easy.
HOW TO PREP THE HAY
The Founder Warrior told me to grab fistfulls of hay from several different bales. Then, put those fistfulls into a plastic bag.
Get scissors and sit in front of the TV and cut up all the leaves and stems into 1-2″ pieces. You are chopping it up, basically, and mixing it.
Then, stuff it all into a quart sized baggie. Take the air out of the baggie.
Put the order form – with payment – into the baggie. Mine cost $20.
Seal.
Put baggie in Green Plastic mailing envelope.
Mail!
These are my fistfuls of meadow grass and my scissors – in a plastic bag.
HOW I PREPPED MY HAY…
So, I followed the Founder Warrior‘s instructions… and did this in front of the TV.
I found myself glued to a Timelife “Best of Soft Rock” infomercial.
Yup. As I was snipping my hay, I was glued to this infomercial! The guy on the right is from the band Ambrosia.
I swear to Horsegods.
Those songs would come on and then they’d show the artists… I NEVER KNEW WHAT ANY OF THEM LOOKED LIKE!
I was mesmerized.
Uh huh… could you tell me what the guy from Air Supply looked like? Me, neither.
Song after song was a song I recognized and I face I’d never seen!
Here I was, snipping while looking at the TV – very dangerous!
Anyway, it was fun… in fact, the infomercial is still playing on downstairs and I’m so tempted to keep running down there to see the faces of all those voices!
OK, I know Rod Stewart…
But Mike and the Mechanics??! Nope. I have never seen these guys but I know the song…
Morning Star Glow – down. Click to help our Navajo 12 and this sick little one. OCTOBER BUCKET FUND!
PPS. “Even the Night Are Better” (Air Supply) = Stupidest Song Title/Refrain Ever
OF COURSE THEY ARE, idiot! Nights usually do improve when you have a warm body next to you. I can remember this just driving me ba-na-nas… :-)
P.S. Geez, thanks a lot. I had to go to the website for that music collection and now I’m sitting here sniveling after playing some samples. *sniff* I think I know EVERY SINGLE ONE of those 150 songs, and they bring back countless memories. What is it about the music of our teens and early 20s? In my case that’s the last time I really listened to music (I don’t much now, that’s for sure, which is just as well because I hate a lot of it) …. but soft rock from the 70s and 80s is what is engraved in my mind.
Bahahahahaha! I found I have to stay away from those TimeLife infomercials, because a lot of the time I am EXTREMELY disappointed when I see just who it was singing all the songs from years past! They are icky-looking, most of them. I’d rather imagine some handsome dude/gorgeous woman… :-)
I saw Air Supply or REO Speedwagon – very easy to confuse them – in person once, so their looks don’t surprise me. Good old Rod the Bod is still around and looking much the same!
Seriously, though, I always know all the words, too. Lots of eyerolling from the teenagers if they’re around. The funny part is even though I’ll know a song practically by heart, I usually haven’t a clue as to the artist/band. My husband is the expert at that! Between the two of us we have a good time.
I forget if your handy hubby made you a hay soaker or a hay steamer. Either way, I’m sure you’re getting most of the sugar out of the hay. Much healthier for MT…
Speaking of Gumby, do you know who the voice was for Gumby and Casper the Friendly Ghost? I just finished ready “Tales of a Prairie Bitch”, in which the gal that played NELLIE OLSEON wrote about her time on the show. (Very good read by the way), and it was HER MOTHER! Just a bit of tid bit of information for the day.