The US Livestock Information and Marketing Center (LMIC) this week lowered its forecast for hay and raised its prices, as this spring's tough spring continues to have a devastating effect on fields and field work.
Reports from the American North Plains and Midwest regarding hay are quite disappointing. New alfalfa crops in these states comprise about half of all new crops this year.
Large areas of these crops are now found in moist, cold or flooded soils. It is assumed that when the fields dry, these areas will still remain uncleared and the crops will disappear.
Due to rain and lack of sun, it was very difficult to get to the fields. The first haymaking, apparently in the Midwest and the Northern Plain, is delayed. The quality of hay harvested from these fields will also be unsatisfactory. Natural “windows” for drying are also few in number.
Recent agricultural prices from the US Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) showed hay prices all over the country, adding $ 15 per tonne to alfalfa compared to the previous month and $ 4 for other hay.
