Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
Continuing drought in the West and Hurricane Matthew’s rains and flooding in the East have combined to raise farmers’ concerns about finding enough hay to feed their animals this winter.
Commissioner Troxler says over a third of North Carolina is dealing with dry or drought conditions, which has hurt the hay harvest in Western North Carolina. This region of the state is also where a lot of cattle farming occurs.
Normally, hay farmers in the eastern part of the state might have plenty of hay to supply to livestock producers in western counties. But Hurricane Matthew damaged hay in the East, and the total impact isn’t fully known yet.
Commissioner Troxler encourages livestock and equine owners to work with their local extension agent to create a winter feed plan now. The NCDA&CS also has the Hay Alert website to help connect farmers wanting to buy hay with those who have hay to sell. The site allows farmers to place free advertisements seeking or selling hay. It also has sections for finding or offering hay transportation services, and for listing forages in the field that can be baled.
Click on the audio player below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda talk about the hay situation in North Carolina.
[Audio:/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_11-8-16.mp3|titles=Today’s Topic for Nov. 8]
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