Dry summer leads to hay shortage for some farmers
Hay production was down in northern, central areas of New Brunswick
A poor haying season in some areas of the province means some cattle producers are short on feed.
A dry summer in north and central areas of the province meant fields didn't produce as much hay as usual.
It means some cattle producers are having to make a difficult decision. They have to buy hay at a premium or sell off some of their herd.
"The market's been fairly active, there's been a lot of trade in hay," said Cedric MacLeod of New Brunswick's Cattle Producers.
"If you knew you wanted to keep the herds [the] same, you went and found the inventory. If you didn't want to go buy hay you sold cows."
Not all bad
MacLeod said the drought was less severe in southern parts of the province and farmers have been able to find hay to purchase in those areas.
Richard Siddall, who owns a farm in Millerton, said he was able to get a decent second cut.
But even with that cut, he estimates he's still short on feed by six weeks.
He's trying to build up his herd, which means he'll have to look for hay on the open market. That could be costly.
He said what he could buy a few years ago for $35 per bale is now going for $60.
Prices should remain stable
Luckily for consumers, the higher cost of hay shouldn't translate into higher costs at the grocery store.
"There's actually a lot of beef on the market, so the value of animals that you're selling right now is actually down a little bit," said MacLeod.
"It's a tough situation for some beef growers."
The good news for consumers is probably little consolation for cattle producers. They will inevitably have to put more money into their herd without being able to charge any more for their cattle.
"It's not enough to affect commodity prices because we are such small scale," said Siddall. "But it certainly does have an effect on each individual farmer."
Siddall said he'll take the dry summer as a life experience and hope for a bumper hay crop this summer.
"If you weren't optimistic, you wouldn't be [farming]," said Siddall.
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