Drought and Hay Shortage Affect Prices and Herds

Do you think the price of hamburger is high? Wait a few more months, today's prices may look good to you. An extreme drought is growing making hay a hard commodity to buy. Those who have hay are asking exorbitant prices for it. No matter what type of hay, or what size the bale, it is fast becoming an economic nightmare for livestock owners.

The severe drought started in Texas and now ranges up to southeast Iowa. Hay sought by farmers and ranchers for their cattle, and by homesteaders and horse lovers. Those people who have a horse or two or a handful of cattle, goats, or sheep are suffering as bad as the large producers. Why? Small hay bales that used to be $3.00 are selling for up to $9.50 in southeast Iowa. Large bales are well over $100.00 in places.

OPTIONS FOR LIVESTOCK OWNERS.

1.Cull the herd down as far as you can, keeping only the breeding stock.

2. Pay the enormous hay prices.

3. Move animals to another location and pay pasture rent to someone.

4.Sell out.

5.Rush fat cattle to finish and sell on the light side.

We have chosen to cull our herds down and pay outrageous prices to get us through the winter. Moving animals to another state or location is not an option for us.

The fourth option is becoming too common. Some livestock owners have had to sell herds that they have spent years and a lot of money to build. The special genetics acquired by growers are being sold through the sale barn. Goat, sheep, and horse herds are experiencing the exact choices the cattle owners are. All ruminants need hay/roughage to survive.

In southeast Iowa, we had above average rain in the spring and early summer. This set hay baling back for the first cutting. The rains stopped, and we have been dry for a couple of months. The pastures have burned up, and the hay fields stopped growing. One hay producer who usually gets 120 large bales from one field got only 8. Most assumptions are that there will be no third cutting around here this year.

In recent years, less hay fields can be found. More farmers were opting to tear up hay fields and plant corn. The added pressure of so many states experiencing drought conditions adds to the shortage already being felt.

THE FUTURE FOR LIVESTOCK GROWERS.

In the immediate future, more cattle owners will be forced to sell their herds, not just their fat cattle, but their breeding animals. Fat cattle growers will sell their beef a little light, rather than feed them to heavier weights.

A cow carries a calf for nine months before being born. A steer takes close to 2 years to fatten for market. After this huge sell-off, there will eventually be a beef shortage due to the numbers not being consistent on the farm. The beef you do find will cost much more than it does today. The hay shortage could have repercussions for several months to come.