Widespread drought across the United States is causing many horse owners to supplement pastures with hay months earlier than usual. Locating hay that is suitable for horses – and affordable – can be challenging.
Dr. Daniel McEvoy, with the Western Regional Climate Center in Reno, Nev., told The Horse that most of the Western United States is in a drought, with the hardest hit areas being Eastern Oregon and the Four Corners area of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.
Southern Nevada has been in a drought for the last 20 years and areas of the coastal Pacific Northwest and northern Idaho are also affected.
McEvoy said that many areas of the West got snow over the winter, which normally offsets some of the dry conditions, but when the snow stopped, things dried out rapidly, putting the area in an early drought. The remainder of the summer is expected to be hotter than average, which will place extra demand on the water supply.
It's not just the drought that has stressed hay suppliers; the rising cost of everything from fuel and fertilizers to tires and baling twine, not to mention supply chain disruptions, raise prices even higher. Oregon is short on water, restricting hay growers to watering just once and limiting cuttings to one – possibly two – in 2022.
In addition to all these stresses on the nation's hay supply, horse owners are competing with other livestock owners for hay – they, too, are having to feed hay earlier than is typical. Horse owners are encouraged to determine the amount of hay they need for the year and locate hay earlier, stocking up as soon as possible instead of waiting until the end of summer.
Read more at The Horse.
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