Thursday, May 2, 2024
Hay fields around Gatesville seem to have a plentiful amount of hay bales, but without rain, the future for future hay crops looks bleak.
Dry weather, high temperatures and reduced inputs like fertilizer have inhibited warm-season grass production across much of Texas, according to Joe Paschal, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock specialist in Corpus Christi, and Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension forage specialist in Overton. Hay quantity and quality are down, while the cost to produce bales is up, and weather forecasts do not look favorable.
Pockets of the state have received decent moisture, they said, but high fertilizer prices have discouraged hay producers from making applications. As a result, the hay baled was expected to be of lower quality.
Paschal said prices for supplemental feed like range cubes and hay have continued to increase. Range cubes reached $400 per ton, while round bales were starting to fetch $75-$80. For weeks, AgriLife Extension agents have reported $80-plus bales in extremely dry areas of the state.
Some cattle producers around the state have been culling their herds deeper to reduce stocking rates and “mouths to feed,” Paschal said. But many more face declining grazing, tightening hay supplies and below-average bale production this season.
“People are baling, but it looks like this hay season could be one cutting, maybe two,” he said. “There is hay being fed now, so the hay situation could be tough.”
