Ranchers Seek Alternatives to Expensive Winter Hay
- Sat 04:20 PM 11/24/2012
Ranchers seek alternatives to expensive winter hay
Cattle ranchers are looking for alternative
ways to feed their animals this winter after one of the worst
droughts in the nation's history cut hay production.
Hay supplies are tight and prices are high. At Debbie and Duane Blythes ranch in the parched Flint Hills
cattle are grazing on the leafy tops of turnips the couple planted
for them after cutting their winter wheat. Their hay production is down, so they are also chopping up
failed crops of corn and milo for silage. The plan to also feed
straw mixed with higher quality feeds or supplements.
Dairy-quality alfalfa hay is now selling for about $260 to $285
a ton, although prices can go as high as $300 a ton. Stock
cow-quality hay is now averaging about $260 a ton.
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