Alfalfa hay production has been declining over the past couple of years.
The Livestock Marketing Information Center says it looks like that trend will continue and not just because of the drought.
“We have seen a massive decline in new seedings of alfalfa, down 25%. This is the lowest seedings on record and extremely bullish for hay prices, not as good for livestock and dairy producers.”
Katelynn McCullock says with the continuing drought and high prices for other crops, there just has not been a lot of interest in putting in new alfalfa acres. She expects production to take a pretty significant hit in the next year.
Related:
Looks to be a challenging year ahead for hay growers
Small family farms produce majority of poultry, eggs and hay in the U.S.
Drought is impacting hay availability in parts of the country
No Drought Relief in Sight for South Dakota