State programs could pitch in to help hay crisis
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

Hay is in short supply this year, but a couple of programs could help farmers feed their livestock.

N.C. Cooperative Extension Service agent Callie Birdsell said not only are people facing shortages of hay, but the drought that limited pasture growth is also causing many livestock producers to cull their herds in anticipation of expensive feeding this winter.

“A lot of people are experiencing shortages but the NCDA (N.C. Department of Agriculture) has done a pretty good job with its hay alert,” she said.

The NCDA’s Golden Hay Relief Program is made possible by a $500,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The Ag Partners Hay Relief Program is funded by $11,000 in donations from farm credit associations across the state.

Most hay pastures yield at least two and sometimes three cuttings of hay per year. However, due to the drought, many pastures yielded only one cut. Birdsell aid since rain has been spotty, some second cuts of hay have been productive but others are dependent on whether it rains steadily in the next couple of weeks.

Typically, hay is cut in early October at the latest, because the growth slows after the first frost.

Ads posted on the state hay alert put prices at between $5 and $7 per square bale, though the price depends on the type of grass or produce stalks. Rolled bales are currently fetching between $12.50 and $20, as advertised on the NCDA’s Web site, with soybean and cornstalks being popular offerings.

Birdsell acknowledged the price varies depending on the type of cut and the economic law of supply and demand. Hay prices could affect whether farmers choose to breed cattle in the fall or wait until spring, and some are choosing to sell their livestock rather than face uncertain hay prices over the winter.

“The drought has caused an estimated $80 million in losses of hay, pasture and forage in our state,” NCDA commissioner Steve Troxler said in a statement. “Corn and soybean growers have shown an eagerness to help livestock producers. ”

While Watauga County doesn’t grow many large-scale commercial cash crops besides burley tobacco, it ranks 38th in the state in amount of hay grown, covering 5,900 acres. Watauga ranks 47th among the 100 counties in beef cattle production.

The Ag Partners Hay Relief program was sponsored by an $11,000 donation from various farm credit unions. The cost-share program will reimburse farmers 50 cents per mile, up to $300, for a load of hay moved from out of state. Reimbursements will be made on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funding is available.

Farmers can be eligible for both programs.

Applications will be available starting Sept. 17, with the grants providing up to 50 percent of the cost of hay transportation. Farmers can download an application and eligibility criteria from the NCDA&CS Hay Alert Web site, www.ncagr.com/HayAlert. They also can request an application, advertise hay for sale, or seek to purchase hay by calling toll free 1-866-506-6222 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.