Fuel costs squeezing hay growers, while pressuring livestock farmers (Maine)

jpak

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Sat May-03-08 09:46 AM
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Fuel costs squeezing hay growers, while pressuring livestock farmers (Maine)

http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/5020151.html

Andy Baker cuts and sells about 15,000 bales of hay a year.

But as fuel prices for his six diesel tractors continue to skyrocket, he's thinking he could be doing all that cutting for little or nothing this season.

"I'm going to be lucky if I can break even," said Baker, who does most of his cutting in Monmouth and Hallowell. "I'll be working for nothing."

And Baker is only one link in the chain of farm production. He and other hay farmers fear that, if they increase their prices too much, animal owners won't be able to afford to buy hay, and may get rid of their animals because they can't afford to feed them.

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pscot

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Sat May-03-08 12:57 PM
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1. There was a similar story in our local weekly

Horse rescue is collecting starving animals from owners who suddenly find themselves unable to afford hay. The price is up 40%, to $9 or $10 a bail. It will likely go higher.

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newfie11

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Sat May-03-08 04:28 PM
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2. Unfortunately you are going to see more of this

People used to have an out and could sell to the killer buyers at auction's. Now of course that has changed, at least for the time being. As much as I disliked the killer buyers they did serve a purpose.
Hay in my area is running $150.00 per ton. I talked to a trucker from Iowa that was here in western Nebraska loading his truck with hay. He was hauling it to Wisconsin. He said he has 6 trucks hauling and is just breaking even.

The reason hay is so high in this area is the drought for the last 8-9 years. Land that is irrigated here is supplying hay to places that have no hay or pastures due to the dry weather.

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