Drought cut into U.S. hay stocks
5/18/2022 12:00:00 AM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
Plants & Wildlife
AFFECTED AREAS:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Idaho
Montana
North Dakota
New Mexico
Nevada
Oregon
South Dakota
Utah
Washington
Wyoming
Start Date: 5/1/2022
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The May USDA Crop Production report included hay stocks for the beginning of the hay crop year beginning May 1. Total U.S. hay stocks were down 6.9% from 2021 and are 15.1% below the 2012-2021 average. This follows a nearly 12% decline in May 1 stocks from last year and a December 1 stock level that was down 6% year over year. The ongoing drought continues to squeeze available hay supplies and widespread drought this year is a severe threat to 2022 hay and range/pasture production.
May 1 hay stocks in the 17 plains and western states were down 17.7% year over year.
Hay stocks in the West are down 36.6% from 2020 levels as drought persisted for two years in some places and are down 27.1% from the 2012-2021 average. The worst-affected regions are the Northern Plains and Rocky Mountain states with Montana down 53.6% year over year, and 55.4% lower from the ten-year average for the state.
Also much lower were North Dakota, down 45.3%, South Dakota, down 50.5%, and Wyoming, down 38.5% from 2021 levels. In total, this four-state region had May 1 hay stocks down 49.2% year over year. This level is down 48.1% from the ten-year average level for the four-state total. These four states had 15.1% of beef cows on January 1.
Drovers Cattle Network (Lenexa, Kan.), May 16, 2022
Sources
