NAPI warns of hay shortage, sellers running out of feed

Navajo Agricultural Products Industry is running out of alfalfa hay, a spokeswoman said Monday. "We are actually possibly going to run out of hay by Saturday," said marketing assistant Rae DeGroat. "It could go on till next week, but we wanted the public to be aware of this information." NAPI is a major supplier of hay in San Juan County. The crucial livestock feed has been in short supply this year because of drought that has hurt production. Prices for alfalfa hay have climbed throughout the Southwest. Hay is tough to come by — and increasingly expensive — throughout the region. Demand from ranchers in Texas and Southern New Mexico, where drought is devastating agriculture, is rippling throughout the feed market. The hay shortage has drawn national media attention. "Supplies are very short due to the drought down south," said Tom Campbell, agronomy manager at Basin Co-Op in Durango, Colo. Prices for premium hay in the Durango area are approaching $300 per ton, while cow hay is going for about $200 per ton. The climbing prices and tight supplies are worrying ranchers. Many rural residents keep cattle, horses and sheep, all of which need feed to get through the winter. Bradshaw said the hay shortage is not unprecedented, but it's the worst in several years. Adding to the problem is a growing population of older horses since domestic horse slaughter was essentially banned several years ago, he said. "The old horses have increased in number." NAPI is selling "good" hay for $220 per ton and lesser quality cow hay for $190 per ton. The Navajo agriculture group raises 84,000 tons of hay a year...more