Drought conditions are taking a big bite out of the Colorado's hay crop, knocking production back my more than one-third and in some cases tripling local prices, the Aspen Times reported Tuesday. "Hay is going to be scarce, and prices are going to go up," Kit Strang, whose family has ranched in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1965, told the newspaper. The paper found that because of the dire drought there is "precious little hay for sale in Colorado." Western Colorado ranchers also fear the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will force cattle off leased grazing lands on the range early this year. Both agencies said they were weighing options. Wayne Ives, range manager with the Aspen-Sopris District of the U.S. Forest Service, said a decision could be made in September. Cattle are typically allowed to graze until mid- October.
"I'm afraid we're going to have to get rid of part of the herd this fall," rancher Rory Cerise said of his 70-head herd in the Emma area. His wife, Lucy, added, "Where we'll be hurting is if we have to start feeding early."...more
No comments:
Post a Comment