2001 High feed costs may now be added to high energy and fuel costs on the list of items putting the financial pinch on Washington's dairy farmers this summer. A 25-year low for snow packs and reservoir levels is leaving little water for irrigation of feed and other crops throughout the state. Alfalfa is the most significant type of dairy hay and, according to the 1998 USDA Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey, used 20.6 percent of the available irrigation water in Washington, second only to orchards.
Less water affects both hay yield and quality.
Area farmers and officials are reluctant to make predictions, but hay prices are already up 10-25 percent over last year and could easily go higher. We're dealing with many more variables this year than we're accustomed to. Drought is the biggest factor, because it's affecting the entire West Coast's feed supply and demand. Cool spring weather has also put the hay crop 2-3 weeks behind in production, meaning hay producers could lose a cutting. Dry pastures, high beef prices and uncertain export markets are also playing into the uncertainty.