Abstract
Accurate and representative sampling of stocked hay is crucial to obtain reliable results of laboratory analyses of forage quality. Although the use of coring devices is advisable, hand-grabbing is very common among farmers. In order to elucidate the eeect of these two sampling methods on the results of the forage analyses, a eld experiment was conducted in South Tyrol (Italy). Grab samples were obtained at 10 to 15 spots of the upper surface of piles of loose hay stored in barns. Core samples were obtained at three randomly selected spots using a modular, mechanical coring device with a 2.25 cm inner diameter and a sampling depth up to 3.5 m. Samples were taken with both sampling techniques at 48 farms. Hay from the rst cut as well as hay from the second cut was sampled at each farm. Hand-grabbing negatively aaected several parameters of forage quality, resulting in a decrease of ash and crude protein content and in an increase of crude bre and neutral detergent bres. Ca, P, Mg, Zn, Fe, Mn and B were also negatively aaected by hand-grabbing and exhibited higher values if the samples were taken by means of the coring device. Crumble losses during manual sampling seem to be a reasonable explanation for these results.