The best nights for sleep were after unloading, being safely parked and with a gentle rain making a nice sleepy-time patter on the roof of the truck.

“The market sometimes, or at least now, feels like we've gone from good, to difficult, to different. And I think one of the most significant things about the current hay market right now is that things are very different,” market analyst and hay exporter Scott Courtright told attendees at the California Alfalfa and Forage Symposium.

Josh Callen, market analyst and publisher of The Hoyt Report, gave attendees at the California Alfalfa and Forage Symposium an update on hay markets in the western U.S.

As we begin to wrap up the winter hay-feeding season and look towards spring, you may find hay resources are beginning to dwindle. There are several things to keep in mind as you manage the gap between now and spring greenup.

Larger harvests are impacting dry hay markets in many regions as 2024 comes to a close. On-farm hay inventories, new seeding estimates and production summaries for all forage crops will provide a clearer picture in early January.