August 3, 2006

US state sets up forage website for cattle producers

As the mid-western states bake in the sizzling heat and crops wither away, cattle farmers are turning to the web to find hay and other forage for their animals. 

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has teamed with the University of Minnesota Extension Service to offer a "Hay List" website that matches farmers needing forage with those who have forage to sell or donate.

The Hay List is a self-service tool that enables buyers and sellers of hay, straw and corn silage in the US and Canada to announce and search available or needed hay lots and to view hay lot summary data. The site is a cooperative effort of the extension services of Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin and South Dakota.

Buyer and seller lots can be searched by a number of criteria, including hay type, bale type, geographic proximity and state or province.

The Upper Midwest Hay List can be accessed at http://www.haylist.umn.edu