Update On Hay

Update On Hay

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

Loren Lentz, President of the Washington State Hay Growers Association, says that due to rains and temperature fluctuations hay cutting around the state is really spread out. Near where he is located, just north of Spokane, growers are finishing up their second cutting.

LENTZ: Up here people got their first cutting up early before we had a big shot of rain - that second cutting is finishing up. But there’s a lot of other second that the first got cut around first part of July, that second cutting is just gonna start getting cut here. First cutting grasses are just getting finished up.

Lentz says there was some damage done to hay in some areas due to the heavy rains the end of June.

LENTZ: A small amount was severely damaged once we started getting rain we got about three or four inches of rain (the) end of June, and the people that decided to cut early didn’t quite get cut quite early enough and got caught. But there’s not a lot of that. Other than some really nice, probably some of the nicest hay that’s got put up in our area at probably the best test that we’ve had for a long time.

As far as trade, Lentz reports that it’s a little slow on alfalfa.

LENTZ: Just because we haven’t had the big push for export this year. Timothy, we’ve had a good strong demand for that. We didn’t have any carryover hay, for the most part, so prices are good - good movement. On good hay 175 to 225 (per ton).

There has been good interest for hay from the outside areas.

LENTZ: Last several years we’ve had good interest (from) feedlots, dairies, other people where the prices were just getting too high in the Basin so they’ve been coming up here. Now with Ellensburg with so much damage in their area we have even more pressure for the timothy.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.