Poor pasture growth, caused by the late-spring freeze and summer drought, have forced local livestock producers to search farther than usual for hay.
Tom Womack is the spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
He says neighboring states that usually supply hay to Tennessee like Kentucky and Alabama are experiencing drought as well, so farmers have turned to another region for hay.
“Farmers are having to look further out for their sources of hay in areas like the Midwest where there’s been plenty of rainfall this season and in some cases too much rainfall. There is more hay available in those areas. All you have to do is look on our highways and see shipments of hay that are being brought into the state and other areas of the Southeast that have been hit hard by the drought.”
Womack says many farmers have sold some or all of their herds this season because they can’t afford to feed them.
The department hopes the recent scattered rainfall in Tennessee will give local farmers more hay by their second cutting.
Governor Bredesen had to ask for Tennessee to be declared an agriculture disaster area twice this year: first in April during the freeze, and again early this month when farmers in all 95 counties were approved for disaster relief.
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