Hay production was down this year in eastern Kansas, and much of the hay that has been cut is being shipped to Oklahoma, Texas or Colorado.
Hay producers say hay barns may be standing empty by the time haying season starts up again.
“It’s going to be too close for comfort for producers,” said Brian Schaefer of Schaefer Farms, east of Emporia. “These barns are going to be empty. A lot of this hay is being trucked out of here.”
Schaefer, who hays about 600 acres, said his hay was gone before he even had a chance to store it.
“A lot of our stuff wasn’t even getting to the hay barn,” he said.
Schaefer said while production is down, the price of hay is going up. From one meadow he hays, he can usually bank on a ton and a quarter. This year he got a third of a ton. Schaefer said that last year he averaged $55 to $65 a ton for prairie hay. This year he is getting $85 to $100 a ton.
Prices are likely to stay up into the next season, Schaefer said.
“You don’t get rid of this problem overnight,” he said. “High market prices are likely to be here for one more year for sure.”
Schaefer said he has 100 head of cows and calves. To make up for the hay shortage, he is substituting a lot of roughage this fall such as corn stubble that has been bailed. He sells his prairie hay for the money.
“The prairie hay is getting $100 a ton, so why wouldn’t a guy want to sell it?” Schaefer said.
Wayde Thomsen of Gridley hays about 4,000 acres. He said the demand for hay has definitely gone up.
“There is absolutely no carry-over from last year from the drought in Oklahoma and Texas,” he said. “Production was lower this year also because of the dry conditions.”
Thomsen said most of his hay goes to sale barns in Western Kansas and Oklahoma. He uses three trucks for hauling hay.
Thomsen’s son has about 100 head of cattle. They feed them hay, but a lower quality hay that the customers don’t buy. Also, to make up the difference, the cattle are fed grain or ground corn or some alfalfa and a protein supplement that has vitamins and minerals in it.
Gail Fuller, who hays north of Emporia, also reported lower than usual hay production.
“It was like everything else, the yield wasn’t very good,” Fuller said. “The demand started last year very strong. The drought started in Texas and it’s getting stronger here now too.”
Fuller feeds 850 head of cattle. He said he feeds them a balanced ration that includes alfalfa and corn silage and also ground alfalfa and ground corn stubble. He also feeds them distillers dried grain and some liquid protein.
“The ration has gotten very expensive this fall,” he said. “Corn has gotten expensive. With the drought, the alfalfa has gotten very expensive. The cost of feed is very high.”
Brian Rees, Lyon County K-State Research Extension agriculture agent, said a lot of the older hay was shipped out, making current supplies low.
“Now there’s some folks who probably wish it wouldn’t have gone that far,” Rees said.
Rees said a lot of corn stalks were bailed this year as well as soybean stubble.
“That is definitely not normal,” Rees said. “Normally that lays on the field because there’s normally not a lot of forage gathered there.”
Rees said feeding-site selection is important during hay shortages.
“Probably another thing would be to do a forage test to know what kind of feed value they are actually getting out of the forage so that they’re getting adequate nutrition out of their forage,” Rees said. “There’s quite a bit of variability in the quality of it.”