Texas Experiencing Severe Hay Shortage

Ranchers, farmers, horse owners and animal rescue groups in Texas are scrambling to find enough hay to feed their animals. Severe drought over 75% of the state, combined with wildfires, devastated hay fields. Since January, over one million acres in Texas have burned. Cattle ranchers are sending most of their animals to slaughter because they lack enough hay to feed them. The only hope - rain, a commodity rarely found in Texas.

Prices for a square of hay (or about 60 pounds) is over $2 more than in July of 2010. Alfalfa hay shipped in from other states costs up to $14 per bale when it is normally about $5.50 per bale, notes Texas A & M University animal sciences professor Dennis H. Sigler, PhD. Hay and rain have both become so scarce in Texas that the state's Agriculture Commissioner, Todd Staples, stated in a recent interview that Texans need to "pray for rain."

Animals to Slaughter

Cattle ranchers are sending as many animals as they can to slaughter. So are horse owners. Although the last Texas horsemeat plants were closed in 2007, this has not stopped hundreds of horses being shipped across the border into Mexico to be slaughtered.

On August 9, 2011, officials discovered more than 1500 malnourished and dehydrated horses, including wild mustangs, awaiting shipment to a Mexican processing plant in Presidio, Texas. They could only seize jut over 200 horses. The workers for C4 Cattle Company allegedly stopped feeding or watering the horses. The horses also had to stand in holding pens without shade. The surviving horses are now being cared for at Presidio County Fairgrounds as the case goes to trial.

Resources for Texans

Texans in dire need of hay for their animals are urged to contact their local county extension agents. They are also urged to check out the Texas Department of Agriculture's Hay Hotline, which helps connect hay buyers with hay sellers. People from out of state have been donating bales of hay to Hay Hotline. The Hay Hotline has been calling for donations since April after the wildfires hit. Horses in particular could switch to hay-based cubes or pellets, depending on each horse's individual health.

One interesting benefactor to Hay Hotline has been the state of Louisiana, which knows a thing or two about natural disasters. On August 2, size restrictions and associated fees for transporting hay over state lines have been waived so emergency hay supplies can reach Texas. Louisiana also allowed an increase in the allowed size of round hay bales that can be loaded onto tractor trailers. These large hay loads are only allowed to travel in daylight hours for safety reasons.

Resources

The Horse.com. "Hay Shortage Hits Texas." Erica Larson. August 5, 2011. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=18643

CBS DFW.com. "Hay Crisis Reaches North Texas, Ranchers Stunned at Shortage." Carol Cavazos. July 27, 2011. http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/07/27/hay-crisis-reaches-north-texas-ranchers-stunned-at-shortage/

KERA News. "Texas Ag. Commissioner: 'Pray for Rain.'" Bill Zeeble. August 10, 2011. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1838738/North.Texas/Texas.Ag.Commissioner.'Pray.for.Rain'

Delta Farm Press. "Louisiana hay bale load restrictions waived to help Texas ranchers." August 2, 2011. http://deltafarmpress.com/livestock/louisiana-hay-bale-load-restrictions-waived-help-texas-ranchers