It's hay cutting season for Kentucky farmers, and there's a new resource to improve profits.

Kentucky State University has opened an extension office in Barren County with advanced technology to test hay and forage samples.

Our Laura Rogers brings us more from Glasgow.

This block of the state's south central Kentucky, this is where we produce the most forage, which makes it an ideal location for a new hay testing lab.

This is where the services are needed the most.

As extension is building, we're trying to get a presence all over the state.

Kentucky State University's Cooperative Extension Service and Bear and County offers near infrared spectroscopy that provides rapid and precise forage and hay analysis.

Then, right here on our computer, forage analysis moves us towards being more efficient in our business.

A lot of gentlemen around here are already sending out of state.

This will be right here at home.

It'll be easier for them to get access to it.

The way it works, the hay sample is taken to be ground and dried and then tested, looking at things like relative feed value, crude protein, fiber and energy content.

And then sample testing allows you to know exactly what nutrients are in it.

If you know what's in it, you can know you've got too much of you know what's lacking.

You know how to adjust your fertilizer or stuff and different rotations for your crops, and that can mean greater profit margins.

We're glad to be here at the same time, it's a learning opportunity for students studying agriculture at Kentucky State University.

We just opened up a school of engineering, and we have a program in ag engineering.

So we are investing a lot in AI driven technologies.

Doctor Tope says USDA funding helped them purchase the $85,000 equipment.

It's a different ballgame when it comes to all agricultural feed, including silage, so students will get a substantial hands on training on how these technologies work and farmers will get more nutrient dense feed for their livestock.

Baron County is the largest cattle producing county in the state, and all of those cows have to eat sometime.

So normally all of those are having some kind of hay provided.

This is hay country, this is forage country, this is cow country.

And it comes in the lab can help farmers directly cater to the needs of their specific livestock.

Every cow is going to need a little bit something different.

Mama.

Cows that are still nursing are going to need a high protein.

Your smaller producers cow calf pairs, those kinds of things will need something different.

The bottom line A better product equals bigger profit and a competitive and ever evolving industry.

Having this here is just another tool.

And the farmers of South Central Kentucky's toolbox just got to increase our bottom line.

I mean, that's just all there is to it.

It's going to make us more efficient.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Laura Rogers.

Thank you.

Laura.

The hay testing lab in Barron County is a free service and available to any farmer in Kentucky.