Regional hay shortages happen when drought reduces production in your area faster than you anticipated. If you're already in a shortage situation — hay is unavailable locally or priced out of reach — this guide covers the fastest paths to getting feed and making difficult management decisions.
Expanding Your Search Radius
When local supply is exhausted, systematically expand your search in 50-mile increments. Drought is rarely uniform across large areas — production counties 100–150 miles away may have had different weather. Contact county extension offices in the adjacent counties you're targeting — they can tell you whether local producers have hay available before you make the drive.
State department of agriculture hay hotlines: many states activate drought hay hotlines during shortage years, matching buyers and sellers across longer distances. In past drought years, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Kentucky have all run these programs. Check your state's department of agriculture website.
Alternative Feed Sources
When hay is unavailable at any reasonable price, alternatives include:
- Hay cubes and pellets: Manufactured products are typically less affected by local drought than field hay. Available from feed stores and can be shipped. Higher cost per pound but guaranteed supply.
- Beet pulp: High digestible fiber, appropriate for horses and cattle as a partial hay substitute. Available bagged from feed stores in most regions.
- Distillers grains: Wet or dry distillers grains from ethanol production are widely available in the Midwest as protein supplements for cattle. Can partially replace hay in beef rations.
- Crop residue: Corn stalks, sorghum stubble, and similar crop residues can supplement hay for beef cattle. Lower quality but available when nothing else is.
- Silage: If there are dairy operations in your area, they may sell surplus corn silage. Requires fermentation testing and adjustment in rations — consult your extension office or nutritionist.
The Hard Decision: Herd Reduction
In severe multi-year drought situations, the most economically sound decision is often reducing herd size rather than buying hay at emergency prices. The math: feeding one 1,200-lb cow through a shortage winter at $200/ton emergency hay costs $600–$800 in feed alone. Selling that cow and replacing her at normal prices the following year when drought breaks is often less expensive — and protects the cows you keep by ensuring adequate nutrition for the remainder of the herd.
Prioritize keeping: your highest-quality genetics, pregnant females whose calves represent future value, and young replacement females. Cull first: older cows, low-producing animals, and any animals with chronic health issues that increase feed requirements.