Duncan Fletcher wrote:
>
> This raises an interesting question. Are there any studies of mineral
contents
> in hay based on regional soil types? Which ones are variable? Selenium
I was aware of.
> You indicate magnesium. Any others? Do grains have the same
variability?
I don't know about any published studies (I've never looked) but I think
you can get that kind of information from a county extension agent, at
least regarding your own region. I do know oats have different values
when grown on the Pacific coast (it's in the NRC book) and it would seem
to me that other grains would behave the same way---after all, it seems
logical that a foodstuff can't contain an element that it hasn't gotten
from the soil it's grown in, ie the selenium you and Wendy were
discussing earlier. If you find anything, I'd like it hear about it.
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Comparison of the minerals available in regional soils in general is only
valid when the crops grown on them are not supplemented with commercial
fertilizer. When crops are properly fertilized, utilizing soil testing,
not just guessing, the agronomist will recommend a mix which balances the
minerals and traces found in a particualar field. If the farmer follows
these recommendations, crops raised with the proper fertilization (and
proper soil conditioning) should be, more balanced than those grown w/o the
recommended plant nutrition.
However, another senario might be that a farmer might just use a general
fertilizer, something like a lawn mix. Then, the crops will probably pick
up different ratios of the nutrients already in the soil, because of the
way organizms try to balance minerals according to what's available & the
most needed or most limiting elements.
The only way to really know what is in your hay is to have it tested. You
can find out where to do this from your county extention agent.
Linda Van Ceylon
lvanceylon@vines.colostate.edu