Hay quality is high and yields are back to normal, says provincial market analyst Ryan Furtas.
Yields for first cut dryland hay (which accounts for 90 per cent of production) were estimated at 1.6 tons an acre, which is above the five-year average of 1.4 tons an acre. Nearly 75 per cent was rated as good or excellent, with only five per cent falling into the poor category, he noted.
But it’s not a good news story on the price front, said Furtas.
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“The annual average cost of Alberta hay has increased four of the past five years, with 2020 being the lone exception. Prices for a ton of hay have more than doubled in value since 2017, when prices averaged $116/ton compared to the 2022 average price of nearly $240/ton.”
“It will take “at least another year of normal production” before prices start to fall, he said.
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