Hay Market Reports

As a kid, one of my summer rituals was to check out the bale counter each night to see how many small bales of alfalfa we put up that day. For a numbers geek like me, once in a while something catches my eye and forces a deeper look. Such is the case with the USDA’s summary of July 2020 hay exports.

In normal times, markets would be focused on yield and production as summer winds down. However, in a year when a virus and politics seemingly infect everything, even hay isn’t immune.

Heading into spring, it looked like U.S. growers intended to devote more acreage to hay in 2020 than in either 2019 or 2018. By the end of June, that anticipated increase had disappeared.

There are times when many factors have the potential to change hay markets rapidly, and we’re in one of those.

Outside forces – many with some connection to the COVID-19 pandemic – continue to impact hay markets. Growers are finding some respite by being able to spend time in their fields, but many marketers are finding harder times. Here’s a look at conditions during the first week of May.

From a disastrous downturn for dairy to the impact on the availability of livestock feed byproducts derived from ethanol manufacturing, COVID-19 is touching the hay market on several fronts. Here’s a look at conditions during the first week of April.