Softer Alfalfa Prices For Now:Short-term demand is waning, but export market remains strong

摘要

Sky-high alfalfa prices in 2014 sent dairy producers looking for feed replacements. Weaker demand for alfalfa has now caught up to prices. The going rate for supreme quality hay delivered in central California is $250 to $290 per ton, down from 2014'speak of $339, said hay market expert Seth Hoyt at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif.The average amount of alfalfa hay fed to California milk cows dropped to 7 lb. per cow per day in 2014, down from 12.5 lb. in 2004, Hoyt said. California dairies are typically the largest market for the West's alfalfa hay, but now, many dairies are feeding more economical wheat straw.