'Better than ideal' conditions set stage for bumper hay crop in southwestern Ontario

If the lush fields of southwestern Ontario are any indication, hay farms are having a very good year. The grass is already clumped into tidy rows on some farms, while others already have it dried and gathered into bales. 

The skies were generous this year. Sunshine, heat and rain in the right amounts at the right times has meant many farmers are reporting high yields. 

"Yields have been substantial," said Belinda Bowman, who grows hay for feed and for sale at her cattle and sheep farm near Lucan, Ont. 

"It's been a complete 180 compared to last year. The weather conditions have been better than ideal, we've had timely rains and we've had also nice windows to get the hay cut."

"I imagine the quality is there this year," she said. 

'Most farmers pace around the yard whether they want to admit it or not'

A late start to the growing season last year combined with heavy rains created complications for farmers last year. While many of them managed to get a good quantity of hay, thanks to frequent rain there were problems getting it off the field in time before rain leeched nutrients out. 

So far this year, farmers haven't had that problem. In fact, with days of sunny skies and pleasantly warm temperatures, the conditions have been ideal for cutting and drying hay in the fields without having to worry about nutrient loss. 

"Once your hay crop's cut, most farmers pace around the yard whether they want to admit it or not and check the forecast 10 times a day," Bowman said. "So there's a lot of hay that got done when we had our first stretch of good weather there, that's when I did my first cut and there's a lot down right now, so probably going to be baling Wednesday or Thursday."

Price of this year's crop 'difficult to say'

Ray Richardson, the manager of the Ontario Forage Council, the group that represents the province's hay and pasture industry, said while some areas of Ontario did receive a heavy frost this spring, most are looking at a bountiful first cut. 

"We've had pretty good growing conditions. We've had some pretty good rains," he said. "I would say it's a decent crop."

Richardson said Ontario stands to produce more hay than it did last year thanks to those ideal conditions. He said that's good news because demand for feed is strong in the province and there's a growing demand for Canadian-grown hay overseas. 

The price of hay is dictated by supply and demand. Richardson said while it's still too early to tell what the price will be, it will likely be a little cheaper than last year since the yields weren't as large. 

"Last year was a slightly smaller crop overall and its been quite expensive," he said. "People were paying 15, 16 cents a pound for high quality hay." 

"It's very difficult to say," he said of this year's price. "If someone wants to sell it to a neighbour or something else, the going price now is somewheres around five cents a pound for the hay after its baled — and the buyer will do the cutting and baling."