More than 20” of rain have fallen this season on Don Leonard’s alfalfa fields near Brush, in northeastern Colorado. Hay quality and supply are suffering as a result.
“It’s been a very difficult year for us,” reports Leonard, of Don’s Hay Service. “It’s been almost impossible to put up any quality hay.”
Growers who’ve managed to harvest supreme-quality dairy hay are taking advantage of higher prices at $220-250/ton, he says. Medium-quality hay currently fetches $130-$160/ton. Both price levels are about the same as they were last year at this time.
“For the lower-quality hay, people are taking whatever they can get for it. It’s below the cost of production, that’s for sure,” Leonard says. There is little demand for utility hay, which sells for under $100/ton and is $50-75/ton less than he sold it for last year at this time.
Prices for top- and medium-quality hay will tick upward as winter sets in, Leonard predicts. “You’re going to have to put out some dollars if you want any of the good hay, because there’s going to be a limited amount of it.”
Only one of his irrigated circles of alfalfa didn’t get rained on after cutting, he estimates. The rest had a varying amount of rain damage.
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