Jan. 24 2023 News broke this week that China had approved the importations of eight genetically modified (GM) crops. Two glyphosate-resistant alfalfa events were included on the list. This seemed inevitable as Chi

Jan. 10 2023 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. all-hay exports in November totaled 316,061 metric tons (MT), down 7% from last year but up slightly from October. Through November, total hay exports were 3

Jan. 3 2023 Even with the record high prices for retail hay in the desert Southwest, demand has remained good. Buyers from the Los Angeles area and Eastern horse regions are still active in the market. This year’s...

Dec. 13 2022 With another round of winter storms to hit the West this weekend, the snowpack in the region is well above average. The snow water equivalent in most Western states sits at 150% over average or better

Dec. 6 2022 According to export data from Datamyne, U.S. timothy hay exports through September totaled 299,484 metric tons, down 20% from a year ago. Timothy hay exports were hit with a one-two punch of strong fr

Aug. 18 2020 Feedback over the last few weeks from export contacts has been that sales overseas have slowed. The harvest of local forage crops, concerns over prices, and trade relationships have been factors. Not

July 28 2020 Prices on Premium to Supreme quality alfalfa hay have improved over the last month in some areas of the West as supplies have tightened. Dairy buyers have had to compete with export buyers to secure h

July 14 2020 Haying weather has greatly improved over the last 10 days in the West. Parts of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Basin areas have second cutting in the bale, and the quality looks good. After close

June 16 2020 All hay exports from the West Coast totaled 415,057 metric tons (MT) in April, up almost 100,000 MT from last year and up 28,497 MT from March. That is the highest monthly total since March of 2017. T

June 2 2020 Just as first cutting was getting started in the Northwest, a late spring storm arrived; this gave credence to the adage “If you need to start a rainstorm, cut some hay.” Parts of the Southern...

May 19 2020 Production on first-cutting alfalfa hay got started in more of the West last week, just in time for a late spring rain to roll in. Growers in western Nevada, western Idaho, and the Columbia Basin were

May 5 2020 Widespread trading on new-crop alfalfa finally got underway this week in Central California after being delayed by rain. The rain delay has caused some alfalfa hay to mature beyond optimal quality. Th

April 21 2020 Growers in the San Joaquin Valley started baling this week as the forecast finally calls for some dry days. After suffering through one of the driest Februarys on record for Central California, rain r

April 7 2020 The extended Chinese New Year from the coronavirus in early February doesn't seem to have impacted exports of alfalfa hay to China, which totaled 88,845 metric tons (MT) in February

March 24 2020 A few days of heavy rainfall over the last couple of weeks brought the first cutting of alfalfa hay to a halt in the Southwest. The total rainfall in many areas was anywhere from 2 to 4 inches, a good

March 10 2020 The uncertainty around the coronavirus has rolled global markets, and U.S. forage hasn’t been immune. With the extended Chinese New Year and worker quarantine rules in China, factory output dropped

Feb. 25 2020 During the last two weeks, I spoke at conferences for alfalfa hay growers in Idaho and Utah. While speaking at these meetings, I conducted polls on what growers expected their alfalfa hay acres to be

Feb. 11 2020 Southwest new crop contracts even with last year In the areas of Parker and Poston, Ariz., and Blythe, Calif., new crop contracts with Central and Southern California dairies were reported in January

Jan. 28 2020 The U.S. and China signed the Phase One trade deal on January 15, and the full text of the deal was released. In the agreement, there is a section on animal feed that aims to streamline the import app

Jan. 14 2020 After hitting an all-time monthly high in October, alfalfa hay exports in November were down 19% from the previous month but still up 9% from November 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As we