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Posted 06 September 2007. Forage and Grazinglands. Penn State Offers Tips for Farmers in Search of Hay Penn State University. www.cas.psu.edu University Park, Pennsylvania (August 31, 2007)-- Haymaking is still the major process for preserving forage as livestock feed, but this summer’s extended dry periods in several Pennsylvania regions are causing forages to be in short supply. A forage specialist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences says farmers searching for hay sources should maintain contact with local hay suppliers.
The lack of moisture that sparked a drought watch in most of Pennsylvania has impacted the state unevenly, with some areas unaffected while producers in nearby regions lack enough forage to feed livestock through the winter. Marvin Hall, professor of forage management, says you might find hay as close as a neighboring township or county, and there are advantages to using local vendors. “Since they’re local, you can visit the supplier and see the hay before you buy it,” Hall says. “And the face-to-face negotiation of price can build a sense of trust in each other. However, if you can’t find the quantity or quality of hay you need locally, there are some Internet sites that advertise hay for sale.” Hall says whether and how much to buy will depend on price and available storage, and producers should have samples tested for nutritional value before they buy. "If the price seems good, the quality is adequate and you have enough storage, then buy all you will need,” he says. “However, if you think the price will drop between now and next spring, then you might want to buy hay in smaller quantities." Hall says there are too many variables to guess how much the added expense of buying hay will increase production costs for an individual farming operation. But, he adds, for farmers in some areas of the state, it's not too late to avoid purchasing hay. "There still might be an opportunity in southeastern Pennsylvania to squeeze in a small grain crop and harvest it," he explains, "but that window is closing more each day." The USDA's Farm Service Agency sponsors Hay Net, a national Internet service for finding hay sources, at www.fsa.usda.gov. Closer to home, Penn State maintains AgMap, a Pennsylvania database that includes hay sources, at agmap.psu.edu. Farmers can find other sites by conducting an Internet search for “hay for sale.” Forage crops constitute the major feed component in the diet of Pennsylvania’s dairy and beef cattle and sheep, making them the backbone of Pennsylvania's agriculture and rural economy. Pennsylvania is the 10th largest producer of hay in the United States, producing 4.7 million tons annually on nearly 2.1 million acres. Alfalfa, the state's largest single forage crop, is grown on more than 800,000 acres and accounts for more than half of the total hay production. Contact: |
