Hay Crop in Crisis
When tallying up the financial losses due to recent flooding in Oregon and Washington, they had better consider the hay crop. I’m Jeff Keane and I will be back with that story after the break. Flood waters in the Northwest have wrecked havoc on hay and grain farmers and livestock owners who are struggling to clear fields of debris. Here is Susan Allen with more on this crisis. Jeff, The Calaway Trading Company, one of the largest hay processors and exporters in the Northwest reported that five thousand, seven hundred tons of grass straw alone was ruined last month. For smaller farmers and many horse owners, replacing destroyed feed and clearing fields can prove costly. A grass roots effort by WashingtonState horse owners has brought not only attention to their plight but donations. The web site www. Flakesale.com has raised more than ten thousand dollars from fellow horse owners throughout the nation. And Jeff I guess the only bright spot for these folks is that price of hay is dropping considerably. Apparently Northwest exporters priced themselves out of the market and global hay buyers looked to Canada and Australia last year for cheaper hay. That’s right Susan I heard that despite a smaller crop, premium export alfalfa and timothy,
destined for horse breeders and dairies in the Pacific Rim is projected to be under two hundred dollars a ton this year. I’m Jeff Keane.
