Drought, Heat Push Horse Feed Costs Skyward

With no end to the drought and heat in sight, owners might have to rethink what they feed their horses.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Nationwide, the combination of very hot weather and persistent dry conditions continue to challenge horse owners with parched pastures and high hay and feed prices. Now, with no end to the drought and heat in sight, owners might have to rethink what they feed their horses.

On July 24 more nearly 54% of the United States was in moderate or worse drought conditions, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center. At the same time, more than 38% of the country was under severe drought conditions, and more than 17% was deemed in severe drought or worse.

The conditions have decimated corn and hay crops in many parts of the country, driving prices skyward. On July 26 corn costs rose to $7.86 a bushel and on July 23, at the Hay Auction in Arthur, Ill., premium Alfalfa hay sold for between $11.25 and $13.50 per bale, and good quality mixed grasse hay sold for between $6.25 and $11.25 per bale. (Editor’s Note: For weekly updates on hay prices in different regions in the United States, visit www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lswfeedseed.pdf.)

As high feed prices challenge horse owners, Bridgett McIntosh, PhD, assistant professor and horse extension specialist at the University of Tennessee, said horse owners might have to explore hay alternative options to keep their animals appropriately fed

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
297 votes · 297 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!