Held in the Autumn of the year following hay season, the Hopkins County Hay Show is a long-standing tradition. The tradition continued this year with a new title, the Hopkins/Rains County Hay Show sponsored by Natural Resources Conservation Services and organized by the Hopkins/ Rains Soil and Water Conservation District. This year, 38 producers entered samples for the contest. The samples were collected at Texas Agri-life Extension offices and chemical analysis on each sample was provided by the Northeast Texas Farmer’s Co-op. Speaker for the event was Andy Wright, a NRCS board member and President of Hopkins/Rains County Farm Bureau. The contest and a producer’s lunch was held at the Hopkins County Civic Center on Saturday October 26, 2019.
After opening remarks by Wright, prayer was lifted by Cody Koon followed by fellowship and a BBQ lunch prepared by Wright’s Catering. As the program got underway, the SWCD “Producer’s Package” was explained by Darron Smith, Wright introduced the top ten producers, winners were announced based on chemical scores, and Wade Bartley led an auction of the winning samples. Auction proceeds were earmarked for student Scholarships in place by the Hopkins/Rains Soil and Water Conservation District. A group photo was made of the top ten producers present.
