LACEY LAKE VIEW, Texas (KXXV) — Central Texas farmers and ranchers are experiencing an unexpected shift in hay demand following recent weather patterns that left pastures greener than usual well into December.
Watch the full story here:
Miller Hay & Feed in Lacy Lakeview has seen fluctuating demand as local livestock owners navigate the effects of an unusually wet year that produced abundant grass growth but compromised hay quality.
"Right now due to the variation in weather we're really not seeing so much a shortage as much as we're seeing just the quality of the hay," said Paige Johnston from Miller Hay and Feed. "The rain that happened this year lining up with our cutting seasons hasn't really allowed us to get the same quality of hay as we have in previous years."
The impact was dramatic for December sales. Local farmers report hay sales dropped to zero in December, a significant change from more than 1,000 tons sold in November.
Local farmer Case Hungate explained the unusual market conditions.
"I think the thing that drove slow hay sales in December was this year we had an extremely wet year and we ended up with 50 plus inches of rain so everyone had a ridiculous amount of grass and it didn't get cold so in December everyone had plenty of grass still," Hungate said. "There was no reason to go out and buy any hay."
Despite the increased hay supply, prices remain steady due to ongoing operational costs.
"Locally I feel like we're gonna hold pretty steady on our hay pricing just input cost and transportation costs causing that price to hold steady even with the higher amount of hay out there," Johnston said.
Johnston expects hay demand to return to normal levels soon as weather patterns stabilize and natural grass growth decreases.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
