In the latest Feed and Forage Listing Service from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, there’s a wide range in hay prices. Some are expressed in cent per pound and some in dollars per bale and other in dollars per imperial ton. Using dollars per ton, the range in prices is from a low of about $75 to a high of around $130. The beauty of the listing service is that you can look for baled forage, pasture or standing forage in your area. The cheapest hay may not be the cheapest after you pay the trucking cost. Of course, the other problem with hay is quality comparison. There’s no readily accepted, universal grading system. With low forage production in much of Alberta and western Saskatchewan, anyone who has to go to the market to obtain hay is going to pay through the nose. For some cattle producers, this will be the tipping point in their decision to continue. Returns are bad for cow-calf producers, but if you have to buy a significant portion of your forage this year, your returns will be ugly. The Feed and Forage listing is on the Sask Ag website. I’m Kevin Hursh. For more inofrmation on commodity prices visit www.dynagra.com

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Kevin Hursh PAg CAC