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Lots of factors -- from summer drought, wildfires and now a severe winter in the West -- are contributing to a hay shortage that may lead to a sell-off of some cattle herds. A bale of high-quality hay that usually is worth three-and-a-half bucks now could bring $10 a bale.
KTEN –TV in Okalahoma says a large roll of hay worth $35 to $45 now brings $90. I have seen similar reports from Oregon. We talked about how a hay shortage might happen this winter in an August column.
The Huntsville (Ala.) Times reports:
Regional Extension Agent Jerry Thompson said he does not know where to find a single bale of hay for sale in North Alabama.
Thompson works with cattle farmers across the region and they are all trying to find an answer to that question. The summer drought means farmers have about half the normal supply of hay they need to feed their livestock.
Thompson said he cannot remember a winter where the hay supply was so short.
"This one is fairly dramatically worse than other shortages we've seen," Thompson said. "It's normally more localized, but this is statewide and even more than statewide.
"I don't remember the last time that it was this bad."
A hay shortage, the result of wildfires that ravaged Oklahoma early in 2006, may lead to more cases of animal starvation in the state, state agriculture experts say.
The wildfires burned more than 850,000 acres of grazing land and caused Oklahoma to lose more than 60 percent of its hay stock. Rising hay prices, fueled in part by higher transportation costs, mean some farmers have to make hard decisions when it comes to feeding their animals, said state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry spokesman Jack Carson.
Some farmers, Carson said, are planning to sell portions of their herds because of the food shortage, because the animals aren't worth keeping financially if there isn't enough food to keep them healthy.
Others, he said, aren't feeding their animals enough food, or even at all.
Last month, Grant County authorities found seven starving horses and more than 40 animal carcasses on a farm. Sheriff Roland Hula said the animals had eaten all the grass and had taken to eating sticks and rocks.
A lack of high-quality hay likely will affect horses more than other farm animals, said Steven Cooper, an assistant professor of animal science at Oklahoma State University. Cattle and goats can make better use of low-quality foods, he said, because of the way they digest.
He said that some farmers already are feeding their cattle corn stalks instead of hay.
"No one is going to call the police to complain about a starving cow," Cooper said.
Some horse owners also are trying to sell their animals because of the increased costs of hay, Cooper said. An alfalfa bale that might usually cost $3.50 could sell for up to $10 this year, he said.
Here is a quick place to find people who have hay to sell. You can see people in every state who are offering or have offered hay for sale. Those who have offered hay for sale list their phone numbers, which makes it easy to find hay farmers near you.
Farm Machinery More Valuable
This article on Agriculture Online interested me.
It details how used farm equipment, from tractors to combines and planters, are not getting less valuable with age, as you might expect. The value of this machinery is actually rising with time. This story would be very appealing to many of you in rural areas. I suspect many of you also have farm-machinery auctions near you.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends upon the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.