October 23, 2019

Strong demand for hay in Canada to feed livestock due to hurricane and poor growing season

Farmers in Canada are turning to hay to supplement their livestock feed this upcoming winter after a poor growing season and the damage of soybean and corn feed crops from hurricane Dorian, reported The Chronicle Herald Canada.

Chris van den Heuvel, member of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture said a combination of bad weather events have caused tremendous shortage of forage.

He said the hurricane didn't blow over his feed corn completely, but the corns stopped maturing after its leaves were stripped and tops broken. Good weather in the fall would have helped the corn to mature, but poor weather conditions weren't helping.

Compounding matters are the increased prices between CAD 10 to CAD 20 for local hay bales because of higher demand and low stock. Otherwise, farmers are forced to purchase forage from Quebec or Ontario, and shipping makes it very costly.

To replace estimated losses, van den Heuvel would have to ship 30 tonnes of forage in two dozen tractor-trailer loads at CAD100,000 (about US$76,000).

Currently, farmers can only obtain about two or three cuttings of hay – not enough to supplement the forage supply sufficiently.

Nutritionists have taken a look at the current crop of corn and concluded that it's useful only for bedding in its current state.

 - The Chronicle Herald Canada