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Hay Supply Starting to Dwindle
By
Laura Skillman
 CAVE CITY, Ky., (Feb.28, 2007) – With hay supplies dwindling,
farmers are looking forward to the first flush of spring growth.
While there is not a shortage, little hay is expected to be left
over after this winter’s feeding is complete.
“December and January were fairly mild with lots of moisture,”
said Tom Keene, hay marketing specialist with the University of
Kentucky College of Agriculture. “Although it was kind of tough
to get hay out because it was so wet, we weren’t feeding a
tremendous amount. But in February, it turned cold and we had to
start increasing the allotment of hay we were feeding, which has
helped dwindle the supply quite a bit.”
In addition, there has been tremendous pressure from southern
states for hay because of drought, he said. As a result, a lot
of Kentucky hay, even some poorer quality hay that would
normally have been available, headed south.
Last year was a good year for hay production, but because of
fairly mild winters in recent years, Keene said some producers
may have gotten a little too relaxed about the amount of hay
they keep on hand. Cold temperatures require more hay for a cow
to maintain her body weight, and that’s what happened in
February. That along with the pressure from outside markets has
really depleted the supply. As a result, Keene said he’s seeing
more requests within the state from people looking for hay.
“We will have grass in about the next 30 days, so we are going
to be OK,” Keene said. “It’s going to be tight. There will be
virtually no carryover, and I think that’s evident when you ride
around Kentucky. You usually see rows and rows of big bales by
the fence, but if you ride around now I think you will see very
little.”
“We’re in a situation this year that the faster we can get on
pasture the better off we are,” said Garry Lacefield, UK
Extension forage specialist. “The quickest way to stimulate
grass-based pastures is with a little nitrogen. It doesn’t take
a lot to get us on (pasture) a week to two weeks quicker. As
little as 30 pounds of nitrogen per acre can do it. We want to
do that about the time that the grass breaks dormancy,and we are
getting pretty close to that now.”
For farmers who are running short on hay and finding it hard to
get additional hay, Lacefield suggested they select some of
their better drained fields and add nitrogen. Because this will
be lush grass, he said cattle farmers need to be sure they are
feeding the appropriate mineral supplement to avoid grass tetany.
Producers looking to increase hay yield can wait until later the
spring and can put up to 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre if
striving for top yields. Applying around 60 pounds will give
significant increase in first harvest yield and decrease the
cost of nitrogen. But Lacefield said they need to consider the
cost of the nitrogen and ensure that they are going to utilize
all of it and not waste a lot in the grazing system. They should
also check phosphorus and potassium levels in their soil as
well.
It will be interesting to see what happens this year, Keene
said. Acres in hay production could be less this year than in
2006 because increased corn prices are also enticing growers to
consider switching some fields from hay to corn, he said.
Keene said a season like this winter shows the importance of
research being done to try to lengthen the grazing season, which
lowers cost and shortens the amount of stored hay needed. But
the need for hay is still going to be there.
“We are going to still have that 60-day to 90-day period where
we are going to have to feed hay,” he said. “Our word of caution
has always been if you aren’t producing your own hay to go ahead
and lock in what you will need. We don’t do a good enough job
figuring out what our needs are going to be.” |
Contact: Tom Keene, 859-257-3144
Garry Lacefield, 270-365-7541, ext. 202 |
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of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
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to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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