Equine owners could have a rough go this year as hay shortages become a reality.
Wellington Federation of Agriculture president Janet Harrop explained it wasn’t the hay yield that posed a challenge this summer.
It was the weather.
“If you looked at what was in the field you wouldn’t have thought we would have a hay shortage because the grass and hay that was grown this year was a bumper crop … but we couldn’t get it in the barn,” she said.
“It was almost impossible … without it having rain on it.”
Harrop said all that was needed was a four- to five-day window of dry weather.
“Just enough … for you to cut it down and have it dry enough and bale it and get it off the field,” she said. “That’s it, but we’ve only had two of those the entire summer.”
For equine facilities it is important that hay be completely dry before it’s baled and stored. Even if slightly damp when stored, Harrop said the hay could produce mold, dust and spores, which are very dangerous for horses and could cause respiratory and digestive problems when consumed.
“It’s almost like an asthma they get from the dust and then digestively it will affect the way they digest the food and it makes them quite unhealthy,” she explained. “They get quite sick with it.”
But all is not lost.
Harrop said there are hay markets and auctions selling hay for about 8 to 10 cents a pound.
In comparison, hay cost about 7 cents a pound in 2014. Another challenge is that eastern Ontario has also had a poor year for hay because it had even more rain than Wellington County.
“Northern Ontario didn’t get near the rain that we did so whether we’ll start seeing hay coming in from the northern part of the province or even from Manitoba … and then selling at some of the markets because they know that there’s a need here,” Harrop said.
“It always does arrive, it’s just you have to pay more for it.”
First cuts were also later in the season this year. While it’s ideal to cut hay for horses around the end of June, Harrop said many people didn’t bale their first cut until the beginning of August.
“Even if they got it cut and they got it baled and it was dried, it’s a lot of fibre, not a lot of nutrients,” she said.
Most hay is a mix of alfalfa and grass, Harrop said.
“The reason that they like alfalfa hay is because it’s pretty high in protein and high in the micronutrients and minerals that horses need,” she said. “You can feed them pretty much just hay and it meets pretty much all of the nutritional needs.”
But if hay is difficult to come by, Harrop said there’s always an option to purchase a prepared product.
“You can buy alfalfa cubes that companies will make, it’s a small compressed cube that’s in a bag but the price goes up significantly,” she explained.
“You can find alfalfa and you can find products, but the cost is significantly higher than … growing it yourself.
“Buying hay from somebody at the time of harvest is the most economical.”
Harrop said it’s now too late in the growing season and there’s not enough sunlight to bale the dry hay needed for equine purposes.
