One of Maine’s most valuable crops has had a tough couple of years. But even with a shaky start in early summer, the 2024 hay supply is looking good for the people and animals that depend on it.
In a good year, the state’s hay harvest typically brings in more than $40 million and feeds animals in Maine and beyond.
Production decreased in recent summers, which cycled between very wet and very dry. This year was a better one, which was cause for relief among hay growers and livestock owners.
Most of the state seems to have good quality and conditions, said Jaime Garzon, a dairy forage specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Garzon has analyzed samples of hay from eight counties in preparation for the first Maine Hay Contest next month.
Quality hay is well-dried after harvest and has good protein content to provide animals the nutrition they need. That’s true especially for dairy cows, who need a lot of protein when they’re producing milk, and horses, which are especially sensitive to moldy or dusty hay. It can cause them respiratory issues and other health problems.
It’s typically cut several times in a season, with different nutrient content from each cutting. With a short growing season in Maine, the window for the necessary weather is small.
Last year, the spring and summer were so wet it delayed planting for some farmers. When the hay was finally cut, rainy and cloudy days meant it didn’t dry well, reducing nutrient content and making it more likely to mold.
Garzon saw many farmers trying to sell it for $5 a square bale or less, which is up to $6-$10 this season.
The state produced 37,000 tons less hay in 2023 than it did the year before, and many individual farmers ended up making 50 percent less hay than in 2022. Last year, Maine produced 234,000 tons of hay and alfalfa, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2022, the department estimated production of 271,000 tons.
Last summer growers faced the opposite problem of the summers of 2022 and 2020, when drought conditions reduced hay growth.
Justin Libby, a farmer based in Corinth who grows 1,000 acres of hay mostly for the horse market, is one of those whose yield was cut in half last year. It wasn’t covered by insurance, and he lost about $300,000.
Things were off to a rough start again this year, with rain and humidity in early summer. But things turned around, he said. Their fields produced 62,000 small square bales, plus more round and large square ones, enough for existing customers, plus some new ones.
Limited supplies of higher quality hay last year opened the door for bales to be trucked in from Canada and as far away as New York state, Libby said. He wondered whether Mainers will continue to buy from out-of-state suppliers, but he won’t know until spring, when most of his customers purchase from him.
On the other hand, it’s possible hay from New England will be more in demand this year as hay fields and stored bales have been damaged or destroyed by hurricanes in southern states.
“Hay needs to go where it’s needed,” he said.
