Teen Farmer Makes Hay at World Dairy Expo

Nicholas Gutierrez set a goal several years ago to grow and produce the highest-quality alfalfa hay. This year, that determination paid off. The 16-year-old won Grand Champion Commercial Hay at the World Forage Analysis Superbowl, part of the World Dairy Expo held in October in Madison, Wisconsin.

Nicholas’ family owns Rooster Ranch in Casper, Wyoming. In spring 2017, Nicholas and his dad planted 80 acres of CROPLAN® HarvXtra® Driver alfalfa. Pleased with the improvements they saw in forage quality, they submitted a sample to the 2017 World Forage Analysis Superbowl. That sample received fifth place in the Commercial Hay division with a relative forage quality (RFQ) score of 275. In 2018, father and son submitted another sample of HarvXtra Driver alfalfa that placed ninth, with an RFQ of 253.

This year, Nicholas reached his alfalfa quality goal, earning him the Grand Champion title with a final score of 92.9 and an RFQ of 295, again with HarvXtra Driver alfalfa. Nicholas makes it a point to monitor fertility and water, and he pays close attention to harvest management to capture the full potential of HarvXtra Alfalfa.

Rooster Ranch has been continually expanding its acres of HarvXtra Alfalfa and is pursuing the dairy hay markets where premiums are paid for exceptional quality.

Nicholas has received numerous awards for his hay quality at both the local and state levels. He is an active FFA member and officer at the local chapter. As a freshman, Nicholas placed third at FFA Nationals with his Agra-Sciences project, Effect of Weather on Stored Hay.

Congratulations to Nicholas, his family and Rooster Ranch on their success. For more information on how CROPLAN alfalfa can add award-winning quality to your acres, talk with your locally owned and operated WinField United retailer.
 

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© 2019 WinField United. Important: Before use always read and follow label instructions. Crop performance is dependent on several factors many of which are beyond the control of WinField United, including without limitation, soil type, pest pressures, agronomic practices, and weather conditions. Growers are encouraged to consider data from multiple locations, over multiple years, and be mindful of how such agronomic conditions could impact results. CROPLAN® and WinField® are trademarks of WinField United.

HarvXtra® is a trademark of Forage Genetics International, LLC.