This is quite a change from the early 1990 s when alfalfa pellets were the main forage import with very few cubes and almost no hay or straw. This large drop in demand for imported forages was a direct result of the economic turmoil in the Pacific Rim which started in December 1997. The International Monetary Fund financial rescue and resultant belt tightening reduced forage imports by Korea. These effects only lasted for a year. Table 10 shows the Korean forage imports for January August 1999.
Orders indicate a big interest in alfalfa hay and grass straw.
Oregon grass straw is a substitute for rice straw and is cheaper than alfalfa hay or cubes. But, there is no substitute for alfalfa hay and cubes when dairies want to be more efficient and produce more milk. It now appears that 1999 will be a record year for forage imports into Korea and will surpass the 1997 imports of 221,823 metric tons. A dramatic turn around from 1998. Korea will become a large importer of United States hay, cubes, and straw.