Ordinarily, June and July is when hay thrives and farmers cut it to feed beef and dairy herds through the year. But in the dry heat of the summer of 2007, the hay crop was thwarted, leaving farmers struggling to find any this winter.

“We’re just trying to stretch what we have,” said Tom Glaves, president of the Niagara Cattlemen’s Association. “With the market being down, there are guys who will sell their cows rather than pay for hay.”

Farmers have trucked in hay from areas such as eastern Ontario and Chatham-Kent to feed their herds, Glaves said. The cost of trucking is often more then the price for the hay, he said. Niagara seems to be the hardest hit area in the province, he added.

For an industry already struggling, the lack of hay could be the last straw, he said.

Source:St. Catharines Standard