Good yields, prices buoy hay harvest

True to the old adage, Flathead Valley farmers are “making hay while the sun shines,” and this year’s first cutting is looking good.

“This spring went really well, with adequate rains,” CHS Agronomy Manager Andy Lybeck said. This year’s crop is “better than a lot of years.”

Ken Smith, a farmer in the Fairmont-Egan area, said he anticipates the tonnage will be better this year.

“On the whole it’s looking like a good crop,” Smith said. “The weather is perfect for haying.”

Lybeck, who said “guys are cutting just as fast as they can” this week, also predicted this year’s yields will be above average.

Dryland hay typically averages roughly 1.5 tons per acre, while irrigated farmland using a two-cut system can produce yields of five tons an acre.

Lybeck said alfalfa weevils have challenged some local growers. The insects eat the leaf tissue of the alfalfa plant, leaving “skeletonized” leaves.

Prices for hay will remain high. Smith said he’s hearing prices similar to last year, about $150 to $200 per ton.

Flathead County Extension Agent Pat McGlynn also expects higher prices.

“A good hay crop is very valuable right now,” she said, pointing to wildfires and drought in various regions as reasons for the high out-of-state demand. “Most of the first cutting [last year] went out on tractor-trailers. A lot of hay has gone to Texas and New Mexico the last two years.

“What’s good for the hay farmer is bad for the horse owner, though,” she acknowledged, sympathizing with horse and livestock owners in pursuit of reasonably priced hay.