FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 11, 2007

For more information contact:
Scott Keith
Livestock and Forage Program Manager
Wyoming Business Council
Office: 307.237.4696

Tom Lacock
Senior Marketing and Public Relations Specialist
Wyoming Business Council
Office: 307.777.2834

Wyoming rancher wins Grand Champion at World Forage Analysis Superbowl

CHEYENNE - Casper rancher Ron Richner took grand champion honors for his alfalfa hay during last month’s 24th Annual World Forage Analysis Superbowl in Madison, WI. This marks the second year in a row a Wyoming rancher has taken the title of Grand Champion as Ervin Gara of Torrington was honored a year ago.

“I guess I got lucky,” said Richner. “I was happy to get the award. I just wish I had more hay to put up.”

According to Hay & Forage Magazine, Richner's third-cutting alfalfa hay entry tested 19.6 percent crude protein, 26.1 percent Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) and 52.3 percent digestibility NDF with a relative forage quality score of 270.6. He will receive a $5,000 coupon toward the purchase of any Kuhn-Knight agricultural equipment product. Richner’s entry beat out 249 other entries at the show for top honors.

“It is very unusual for the champion to be from the same state two years in a row,” said Scott Keith, Wyoming Business Council Hay and Forage Program Manager.

Richner was one of six Wyoming ranchers honored at the Superbowl. Dennis Wambolt of Torrington won the first-time entrant championship, netting him one year’s worth of free service from data provider DTN Dairy. David Hinman of Wheatland won second prize in the commercial hay category, while Kellie Hinman and Teri Hinman, also of Wheatland took third and sixth place respectively. Bill Reed of Alcova won eighth place in the commercial hay class.

The annual Superbowl, which is held during the World Dairy Expo is sponsored by Hay & Forage Grower magazine, AgSource Cooperative Services, DairyBusiness Communications, World Dairy Expo and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Hay show classes included: commercial hay, dairy hay, dairy haylage, baleage and two silage classes.

Wyoming’s entries to the Hay and Forage Super Bowl were selected for having the top relative feed value at the Wyoming State Fair Hay Show in the extreme alfalfa class. The winners of the extreme alfalfa class had their entry fees as well as postage necessary to send in samples to the Forage Super Bowl paid by the Wyoming Business Council’s Agribusiness Division.

“I just want to encourage producers interested in exhibiting in next year’s Superbowl to save back a sample bale of their third or fourth cutting of hay,” Keith said. “We have a lot of quality third and fourth cutting hay being harvested right now with the weather conditions as they are.”

For more information on entering next year’s Superbowl, or the Wyoming State Fair Hay Show, contact Keith at 307.237.4696 or scott.keith@wybusiness.org.
For more information on entering next year’s Superbowl contact Keith at 307.237.4696 or scott.keith@wybusiness.org.

The mission of the Wyoming Business Council is to facilitate the economic growth of Wyoming. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.wyomingbusiness.org.

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