On‐site forage testing to aid drought‐stricken producers

Drought conditions throughout much of South Dakota during the 1988 growing season caused producers to harvest many types of crops for forage. There was considerable interest among producers in having forages tested for various parameters, including quality characteristics, and nitrate (NO 3 ) and prussic acid (HCN) determinations. To improve accessibility of forage testing for producers, South Dakota State University (SDSU) performed on‐site testing for 7 d at the 1988 South Dakota State Fair in Huron, SD. Forage samples were analyzed for quality characteristics using a near infrared reflectance spectrophotometer, and the presence of NO 3 and HCN was qualitatively determined using colorimetric tests. The response to this event was outstanding as 87, 298, and 118 samples were analyzed for quality characteristics, NO 3 determination, and HCN determination, respectively. Sample perparation and testing procedures were performed by several different types of people including extension county agents, specialists, administrators, and agricultural experiment station research chemists. This event provided the transfer of information from the SDSU Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station to producers in an efficient manner.