Since 2015 when the Alfalfa category was first introduced in the Southeastern Hay Contest, hay samples from North Carolina farmers have consistently placed in the top-3 positions. See a historical summary. In the last 2 years, however, alfalfa hay samples from North Carolina farmers were also recognized as the overall contest winners. These samples came from Beeson Farms from Climax, NC, in 2022 and Mountainside Farms from Taylosville, NC, in 2023.

The results from the contest are available online. Other categories where North Carolina hay samples were winners in 2023 include the Cool-season perennial grass hay (Beeson Farms, Mountainside Farm, and Windfall Farm), and the Legume+Grasss Mixed Hay category (Jon Pope from Coats, NC).

Congratulations to the Extension Agents that worked with their stakeholders to submit samples to the Southeastern Hay Contest. Note that it is the Extension Agent who submits the sample, not the producer.

Following the Southeastern Hay Contest' motto, “prove your hay is the best”, these results prove that high quality forages come from North Carolina.