By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

Hay season is underway, and some Texas farmers and ranchers are optimistic for a better outlook this year.

Texas hay production was significantly down due to widespread drought and high fertilizer prices. Last year’s drought left many farmers and ranchers with a lack of hay and searching for solutions.

Brian Nielsen manages three ranches in Caldwell and Gonzalez Counties. He oversees over 2,000 acres of ranchland with 200 acres for hay production.

Most of the hay Nielsen cuts is kept for the ranch, but last year’s drought almost left him empty.

“Normally, we always try to keep hay in excess for carryover for the following year. Last year, I ran out of hay at one of the ranches and had to start hauling in hay from another ranch,” Nielsen said. “I think we ended up with 50 bales total, where normally we keep about a 100 to 150 bales carryover on each ranch.”

The ranch purchased an irrigation pivot last February, and running the irrigation was enough to keep the grass alive last year, he said.

And with recent rainfall, Nielsen is optimistic for this year’s hay crop.

“As long as this rain keeps up, I’m positive we’ll have a good hay crop,” Nielsen said. “Obviously that can change. Last year, I thought we were going to be in good shape, and then once the rain turned off, it didn’t come back on. Last year was the worst drought I’ve ever seen.”

However, there are still some areas across the Lone Star State that are in exceptional drought, according to the Water Weekly report.

Ronnie Muennink, a farmer in Medina County and former Texas Farm Bureau state director, grows 600 to 800 acres of hay a year, as well as custom bales for area ranchers.

Many farmers and ranchers know how detrimental last year’s hay crop was, but Muennink shares his outlook is better this season.

“Last year, we didn’t have enough moisture to even sprout any kind of seed. Other than the small amount of irrigated hay that was around, the coastal and dryland didn’t have enough moisture to produce anything for a cutting at all,” Muennink said. “We haven’t received an abundance of rain, just small amounts. Maybe an inch at the most at a time, and that’s all we’ve had for probably 18 months. We’re hoping that trend changes soon.”

Muennink predicts hay prices to be anywhere from $100 to $125 and higher due to fertilizer prices and continued drought in the area.

“I don’t see hay prices being less than $100 because the expense is too great for them to be less than that, and it depends on production,” Muennink said. “With more production, prices might be lower, but we still need a profit. But I don’t see prices going down a whole lot because the expense is still there.”

Like with any crop, one farmer is praying for rain and the other has just enough.