As the cost of grain rises (along with so much else), some horse owners are relying more on hay to feed their animals.
While bags of feed carry nutritional information, the hay you buy does not come with such a message. That means you have questions about the nutrition provided by the hay you’re feeding, whether you’ve bought it or produced it yourself.
Somerset Grain & Feed, 224B East Mill Rd., in Long Valley, N.J., is offering answers to those questions, including the percentages of such elements as protein and sugar in the hay your horse is eating. Such information is particularly important for those who are feeding horses with metabolic problems.
On Oct. 10, from 10 a.m.-noon, the store is presenting “Coffee and Carbs,” an opportunity to get a quart-sized bag of your hay analyzed by Nutrena. There is no charge for participating, with free coffee and donuts as part of the deal.
Those who are not able to come that day can just drop off the hay in a ziplock bag by Oct.8. Anyone who does that will receive an email with the results. Advance registration is required at https://learn.nutrena.com/nutrena-pre-event-hay-form.
Somerset Grain can be reached at (908) 766-0204 or somersetgrainandfeed@gmail.com.
The store, which moved from Bernardsville to Long Valley in 2025, is run by Jesse and Brianna Milesnick. Tom Milesnick, Jesse’s father, put in 45 years there and as of last week is no longer working full-time. But he will come in a couple of times a week to help out.