Producer and Consumer Survey: Increasing Alfalfa Hay Sales to Horse Owners

Producer and Consumer Survey: Increasing Alfalfa Hay Sales to Horse Owners Overview Alfalfa is a high quality forage for livestock, and the sale of alfalfa hay has significant economic impact on the agricultural community. However, horse owners are often reluctant to feed alfalfa or alfalfa mixed hay to their horses. This may be due to a misunderstanding of the nutritional benefits, or more logistical barriers, such as bale size. To address this, a survey has been developed that will target both horse owners and hay producers and brokers to explore what prevents more horse owners from feeding alfalfa hay. Questions for horse owners will ask about the impact of nutritional value, package size, and preservatives in hay selection, while producers and hay brokers will be asked about their experiences selling to horse owners. Results of this survey will be shared among hay producers and brokers and several articles and factsheets will be developed. Possible topics include the nutrition value of alfalfa hay, how to package alfalfa hay for horse owners, and the safety of feeding preservative treated hay to horses.