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South Central Texans win top honors at state hay show |
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By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition |
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December 25, 2003 -- Greg Luhn of Austin County and Gerald Fritz of Kerr County were two of the top six winners at the 2003 Texas State Hay Show. Luhn won first place in the grass-legume mix class; and Fritz won first in the bermudagrass class. Each of the South Central Texas producers' hay earned wins at their county hay shows before traveling to Stephenville to compete against other quality hay produced in the state. Luhn's hay, a Burr medic and Rescuegrass legume mix, earned a 95.4 overall hay score. It tested 22.1 percent crude protein (CP) and 26.7 acid detergent fiber (ADF). First-time luck might have played a part in Luhn's win. The hay tested to be top quality with its high protein and ADF content, but Luhn noted he decided to enter the forage in the hay show when he saw one of his "volunteer" fields had "a lot of good looking clover." To encourage the legumes, Luhn said he fertilized it in January with 250 pounds per acre of 25-5-5. A third-generation farmer, Luhn entered the forage in the county hay show, and won the overall title. At the regional contest, he earned a first place win which paved the way for the sample to compete at the state level. With the latest accomplishment, Luhn earned a plaque designating his legume-mix hay as the First Place Winner for Class VI at the 2003 Texas State Hay Show. Luhn is proud of the win, but points to his uncle Harold Luhn of Bellville as the "big winner" of the family at hay shows. Mr. Luhn has earned several victories at state and regional contests. Besides growing hay, Luhn and his family farm 1,500 acres of grain, cotton, and other crops. The hay they produce from their fields feeds their own cattle. Several counties to the west, the Kerr County winner said he also raises cattle, and some sheep, but he markets a lot of hay too. "We sell everything," Fritz said about the Coastal bermudagrass hay produced on 675 acres. Fritz claimed the First Place Winner title for Class I at the 2003 Texas State Hay Show. This year's hay also won the Grand Champion honor at the Kerr County Hay Show, and Fritz noted he has won on the state level three years ago. The bermudagrass hay tested 21.0 percent CP and 24.1 ADF. The hay scored 96.9. "We strive to make the best hay possible," he related. He conducts soil tests on his fields, and consults with Allied Ag fertilizer company in Stonewall to determine fertilizer needs. "I fertilize with every cutting," he related. "If you don't, it's like sending a kid to bed without supper. It's a plant, and you've got to feed it."
Fritz, along with son Gary and his wife Scarlett, do all the work to produce and harvest the hay. From the 675 acres of hay fields, they've generated 147,000 bales of hay (mostly square bales, mostly purchased by horse owners) which they've delivered to their customers - whether it's a feed store, race track, or individual. One other note about the state hay show contest procedures: Both Fritz' and Luhn's hay samples posted a higher overall score (96.9 and 95.4, respectively) than the grand and reserve champion winners' hay. Dr. Twain Butler, Extension agronomist and hay show judge, pointed out that next year's competition will only award class wins. Butler explained the way the champion hays are selected is "all the scores are thrown out and the individual hay (sample) is looked at by the judges." The judges agree which hay is the best for its type, and the grand and reserve champion titles are decided when the judges agree. "But next year, I proposed, and it's been okayed, that we only have class winners, and not have a grand champion and reserve champion," Butler said. "It's not really fair." Staff member Carolyn Rost contributed to this story. |
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