Harvey Tedford heard through the grapevine this summer that hay is in demand in Montana, so he decided to test the market.
With at least 200 round bales of hay to spare, Tedford found an internet site where he could list his hay for sale.
“There’s quite a lot of hay going from Saskatchewan into Montana right now,” said the producer from Estevan, Sask.
Montana, Wyoming and Utah all have felt the effects of drought this year. That has crimped the supply of pasture and hay in those states.
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Meanwhile, Saskatchewan producers like Tedford have a carryover of hay from last year and would jump at the chance to make some extra money for their farms.
Tedford had not found a buyer for his hay when interviewed Aug. 30.
To help meet the need for hay in Montana, the state’s department of agriculture established a hotline where buyers and sellers can connect.
The Montana hay hotline can be found on the internet at www.agr.state.mt.us. Those wanting to post a listing to buy or sell on the hotline can phone the Montana Department of Agriculture at 406-444-2402. The listings are free.
“We are pretty desperate for hay, pasture and other forages,” said Theresa Genereux, one of the department’s marketing technicians.
Most of Montana has been affected by drought this year. Scattered brush and grass fires across the state have added to the shortage of pasture.
All types of hay are in demand, said Genereux, including feed for dairy, beef and horse operations.
In Wyoming, the alfalfa hay crop is expected to be down about 20 percent from last year. The state is looking at its smallest hay crop since 1994, said Jason Fearneyhough, manager of livestock and forage promotion for the Wyoming Business Council.
“People aren’t in dire straits yet,” Fearneyhough said, “but I know there are people already scrambling to try and find some hay.”
The greatest demand will be for grass and mixed alfalfa, he said. Beef cattle consume the largest volume of hay in the state.
“I would guess that there will be people looking to the Canadian provinces for hay.”
To list an item or to modify a listing, contact Patty Thompson at 307-754-2223. The website is www.
uwyo.edu/ag/ces/haylist/menu~1.htm.
Cattle producers in southern Alberta are also plagued by drought this year and are starting to think about winter feed supplies.
The hay demand now is “slightly higher than normal,” said Bjorn Berg, an Alberta Agriculture forage specialist based in Lethbridge.
“Our main problem is we’ve run out of pasture. That puts the pressure on feed supplies right away.”
There are producers in Alberta who normally stockpile pasture for the winter, but a number of them have already used up those reserves, Berg said.
To cope, producers can buy less expensive straw and augment it with barley or screenings.
Berg also has heard of producers planning to move their cattle north where pasture is more plentiful.
Southern Alberta producers also are culling more heavily, he said.
