HOUSTON – Farmers and their crops are often at the mercy of mother nature’s ebbs and flows.
Hay farmers Doyle Caudill and Jon Barker said the last two years, 2021 and 2022, were challenging. Their crop yields are lower than average. On an average season, their farms could see around four cuttings but during the last two years, cuttings were as low as two times a year.
“When the rain sets in like that. And that was in 2021 and then we went straight from 21 into 2022 and 2023 and, and serious drought. So, we went from one end of the scale to the other in the scale” Doyle Caudill said.
The hay crop is the livelihood for these farmers and other farms who have to feed cattle. When inventory is low, Caudill and Barker have to use an alternative. So, instead of Bermuda hay, they use bale straw from rice farms.
I pointed out dry years, but wet periods cause problems too. If it is too wet, farmers cannot go out and cut, treat and bale the hay. There also must be low humidity. If too much moisture is present several problems build up.
One being overgrown crops, which make the hay steamy and rank, giving it a bitter taste to animals.
The second is bugs, more moisture can bring out worms that eat away at the crop faster than farmers can get them out.
Another issue is mold, if hay isn’t dried properly, it can mold once baled.
The cost of beef could rise
If you are sitting at home wondering why you should you care, well it’s because these are the crops that feed beef cattle.
So, if you like steak listen up!
The lower the hay inventory is across the state or country, the higher it will cost farmers to feed their cattle.
Jon Barker said there are other reasons to rising beef cost, one is that the inventory for beef cattle is low as well. Both can lead to beef prices rising at grocery stores.