Two area forage producers earned recognition for their crabgrass entries at the 2026 Ozark Empire Fair Hay Contest, an annual event that saw record-breaking participation this year, officials announced this week.
Dustin Heriford of Gainesville and Greg Loftis of Thornfield both placed in the Class V summer and winter annual grass category with strong crabgrass entries. Josh Dunn, a University of Missouri Extension agronomist based in West Plains, assisted with the contest and pulled the local samples for the competition.
The 2026 event featured 68 entries from 32 participants across 11 Missouri counties.
“These hay producers are honing their skills to increase hay quality for livestock, and the contest helps them and others to learn the value of hay quality through laboratory analysis,” said Tim Schnakenberg, MU Extension specialist and contest co-superintendent alongside Reagan Bluel.
Since 2017, the contest has evaluated hay using relative forage quality (RFQ) numbers, which are based on total digestible nutrient (TDN) and neutral detergent fiber levels to estimate dry matter intake.
While local producers made a strong showing in the annual grass category, veteran competitors took home the event's top overall prizes.
The OEF Championship for Dry Hay went to repeat winners Glenn and Toni Obermann of Monett. The Obermanns, who have won the title numerous times over the last decade, posted an impressive RFQ of 257 and a TDN of 72.2 for their first-cutting alfalfa. Their entry will advance to the World Dairy Expo hay contest in Wisconsin later this year.
Groves View Dairy in Billings won the OEF Haylage Show Championship, retaining a title the dairy has held continuously since 2020. Their winning haylage posted an RFQ of 225 and a crude protein level of 20.4.
The hay contest, which began in 1985, is held in partnership with the Custom Laboratory of Monett and is open to any Missouri producer. Other partners include Crown Power & Equipment, Green Seed Co., MFA Inc., Missouri Dairy and Pennington Seed.
