Hay Stocks Slide

This spring’s wildfires and continued drought have heightened Nebraska’s need for hay and forage. Unfortunately, the USDA delivered bad news on this front when it reported that on May 1 that Nebraska hay stocks were off 11% compared to last year, from 1.75 million tons to 1.55 million tons. U.S. hay stocks, 23.3 million tons, were also down 3.3% compared to last year. There is a silver lining though. The Daily Livestock Report says that even with the decline, stocks are at the second-highest level since 2017. Other states seeing large declines were Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Texas.