Filed by btucker in Feature, Local News.
August 1, 2011

The drought has caused major challenges for Oklahoma ranchers, and it’s putting a lot of stress on the state’s hay directory. The directory is a program the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture offers to help match hay producers with people who need it. Associate Commissioner Blayne Arthur says several producers have run out of hay.

“Our cattle producers, specifically who are feeding hay, they normally would not be feeding hay until a lot later in the year, so hay supplies are getting short,” Arthur said.

As the summer heat continues and hay becomes more scarce, producers are becoming less picky about the type of hay they are feeding to their animals.

“Most folks are just looking for good prairie grass or Bermuda grass hay,” Arthur said. “There are probably our horse producers or some of our dairy men would prefer to have some of our legumes.”

Once hay runs out producers are faced with the choice of feeding something else, liquidating their herds, or paying to bring hay in from other states.