Warm, sunny weather brought farmers out in droves last week to finish combining and put up winter feed for their livestock.
Janice Bruynooghe, executive director of the Saskatchewan Forage Council, maintains pastures for a 150 head cow-calf operation and does custom grazing near Broderick, Sask., with her husband, Chad.
She blamed dry conditions in spring for reduced supplies and higher prices.
“Most growth happens in May and June and the rains came too late,” she said. “The yields are not there so that will drive up prices.”
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Long winters all but used up the excess stocks of feed from the last three years.
An average growing year for the Prairies creates a bit of a “perfect storm” for a livestock sector that is struggling and now faces higher winter feed costs from limited supplies.
Hardest hit are Manitoba’s Interlake, which has literally seen bales afloat in water, and Alberta’s Peace River region where dry weather limited forage growth.
Northeastern Saskatchewan is reporting good yields, while the northwest and pockets of the southwest are coming up short.
“We’ve lost about 25 to 50 percent of yield from this year’s crop,” said Andre Bonneau, forage conversion specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture.
He said most farmers knew in the spring that there would be shortages by fall, with many forced to feed their animals longer than normal this cool, dry spring.
Overall, hay prices range from $5 to $20 per ton more than last year.
Hay prices are dependent on how far the bales travel with truck rates at $5 to $7 per loaded mile, so many are opting to pay more for stocks closer to home.
Most producers have used their hay stands efficiently, baled meadows or taken off a second cut of hay, Bonneau said. They are also looking at feeds like chaff and frost-damaged grain.
Bonneau doesn’t see a concern as long as the Prairies experience a normal winter.
“I don’t see a big problem. I don’t see a big panic.”
