What Is the Best Hay Probe?

What is the best hay probe?  The answer is it depends on type of forage, dryness of forage, and operator.

The best source of information is the National Forage Testing Association web site.
http://foragetesting.org/

The standard probe everything else is compared to is the Penn State Probe.  It is the most versatile, useful in grass, alfalfa, and corn stalk bales. The Oakfield probe is similar.  Either can be operated with a brace or portable electric drill. Caution: when operating with an electric drill, the probe can get very hot and you can brand yourself.  That is also a sign that the sample got too hot and the resulting forage quality test may be biased, usually in higher fiber or heat-damaged protein.  These are single sample probes-they must be emptied after each probe. For dry alfalfa, I like the Star Quality Multi-sampler Probe.  It accumulates multiple samples into a plastic bag.  It is fast, relatively easy to use, and avoids having to keep a generator or battery powered drill working.  All samplers should be voided in the tube with the push rod after every use.



Penn State Probe
Contact: Nasco Corporation
Address: 4825 Stoddard Rd., Modesto, CA. 95356-9318
Phone: (800) 558-9595
Description: "DRILL TYPE" Stainless steel 1 1/8" diameter X 18" long. Available with 3/8" round shank adapter for use with electric or breast drill or square shank for use with hand brace. Replaceable cutting tip. Comes with dowel plunger to remove sample.

Oakfield Probe
Contact: Oakfield Apparatus, Inc.
Address: P.O. Box 65, Oakfield, WI 53065
Phone: (920) 583-4114
Website: http://www.soilsamplers.com/
Description: It is made of stainless steel with a replaceable serrated screw-on tip. The tube is 18" long and cuts a core of 0.75" in diameter. Cores are removed from an open area on the side of the tube between samplings. The Probe is available for use with an electric drill or hand brace. Extension adapters are available for deeper sampling.

Star Forage Probes
Contact: Star Quality Samplers
Address: 5719-114A Street, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6H 3M8
Phone: (780) 434-3367
Website: www.starqualitysamplers.com
Description: "PUSH TYPE" Star Multi-Forage Sampler: Stainless steel 5/8" diameter probe barrel, 18" long. 3" or 4" diameter PVC canister is the handle used to push probe, with a plastic bag attachment. Star Uni-Forage Sampler: Stainless steel 1 1/8" diameter X 18" long. Spring clip fastens the handle to the sampler and core poured out. Star Standard Cutting Tip fits Uni-Forage Sampler and is a replacement for most wood brace samplers (eg. the Penn State sampler).


Glenn Shewmaker
Extension Forage Specialist

University of Idaho
Kimberly R&E Center
3806 N 3600 E
Kimberly, ID 83341-5706

Phone: 208-423-6678
http://www.extension.uidaho.edu/forage/