12/06/07 Hay Scams

Take it from an owner of multiple horses when the cost of hay goes up it can severely impact the family budget so imagine what high hay prices can do to a feedlot or dairy's bottom line. This year we have the highest hay prices on record probably due to the fact that many farmers have opted to plant corn and wheat. Add to that mix the cost of fuel and the drought in the Southwest and you have a scenario ripe for scams. Hay rustlers are now more common than horse thieves deceiving people by promising prepaid shipments of hay that simply never arrive. While most of us can absorb the cost of be scammed for a ton of hay, it is bogus certified checks for $20,000 dollars or more that have left ranchers and distributors reeling. In most states feed dealers must be bonded but that still does not offer buyers sufficient protection so Washington State for one is looking at the idea of implementing a small growers tax to create an indemnity fund . Irregardless, the best protection when buying hay by the ton or load is to purchase it from a trusted and reputable source,