Favorable weather means hay balers still busy

By KRISTY HEMMINGSEN | East Texas Edition

August 29, 2002 -- The calendar may read August, but hay cutting and baling continues to be in full swing in much of Texas, reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a mid-month report. Much of the state has received needed rainfall over the last several weeks and many hay fields have noted considerable growth.

The hay-making season did not start out with high hopes, but summer rainfall has boosted yields and kept prices affordable.

Dr. David Bade, Extension forage specialist, said until it began to finally rain in various areas of the state and throughout the last two weeks of July, the season's hay crop for most of the state had been short. The droughty conditions in late spring and early summer, and in areas such as the western, south central, and eastern parts of the state, meant less hay was cut from perennial grass pastures.

But with the late July rains, the prospects for an additional cutting, between the first of August and the fall season, was looking good, noted Bade, who is stationed in the Bryan/College Station area.

By mid-August, the Texas Cooperative Extension reports indicated the central area of the state was seeing a slight shortness in actual soil moisture, but hay baling was continuing with good yields.

In the East Texas area, the report from Overton stated agricultural producers in the area were "making hay like there's no tomorrow."

"The plentiful rains during June and July gave people more grass than they knew what to do with, and they're turning it into hay," said Larry Redmon, Extension forage specialist, Overton.

Redmon added this "hay-making fever" is also due to the relatively dry spring experienced through much of East Texas.

"Producers were seeing large bare spots where Bermudagrass used to be. But those same bare-spot fields are producing four to five bales per acre," he explained.

Ross Kinney, of Ross Kinney Farms in Kilgore, "makes his own rain" through man-made irrigation techniques, but had comments on the East Texas area's hay situation.

Kinney, who has sold irrigated, highly-fertilized hay for the past few years, said his area started out with a cool spring along with adequate rainfall. But this combination of conditions, he said, merely held back the Bermudagrass which typically needs temperatures to stay above 50 degrees.

"Yet, when the temperature finally began to rise, the grass took off," he explained.

Kinney also said in the month of June warm temperatures were consistent during the evening hours making it a good moisture month.

"But, then it got dry," he said. But, he too said that it began to finally rain the end of July and the area is still getting fairly adequate rainfall.

Kinney is currently now on his fifth cutting of hay and said even those in the area without irrigation have made an adequate number of cuttings since it began to rain.

Allen Spelce, director of communications for the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), and who also resides in the Austin area, said the area has been fairly wet, but not too wet.

Although, according to Spelce, the area had been "dried-up" in early May and April, before the weather began to cooperate in the summer.

"Some producers in the area say it's been the best hay production year, ever," said Spelce. "This area hardly ever gets July and August cuttings of hay. And the area is still expected to see additional cuttings, and it's good stuff."

"Sixty-four percent of the state's range and pasture land is in good condition, while 9 percent is in excellent condition, and 27 percent is considered in poor condition," explained Spelce.

Spelce also said, hay prices aren't bad for buyers. He said quality Coastal round bales of hay are going for around $40 to $50, but a little further outside of the Austin area, it of course gets a little less pricey. Typical hay grazer goes for about $30 to $35.

Current reports from the USDA-Texas Department of Ag Market News indicate that for the northern parts of the state, alfalfa has not been as plentiful since the area did not receive as much of the rainfall. 

As far as Central and South Texas, USDA states that hay movement is slow with continued price weakness noted in Bermudagrass hays as supplies are fairly heavy and demand rather light.

Many parts of East Texas received considerable amounts of rainfall this past week which has slowed hay movement.

The USDA also stated that hay prices remain mostly steady especially for the higher quality hay types. Some hay moving at nominal price levels due to lack of storage facilities. For complete current pricing information, see this week's Market Pages within the B Section.