LOVELOCK - The heat of this growing season has caused some problems for area hay growers, but most say the crops are starting to look up now that temperatures have gone down.
The first two cuttings of the season yielded a lesser quality hay than most would like.
"The very hot weather is not good for the hay quality. It grows so fast it doesn't get the nutrients it needs for a high quality hay," upper valley farmer Allen List said.
List estimates the hay prices are down from last year.
"High quality hay pretty much dictates the price of all hay but I would say it's down about $25 per ton," List said.
Another upper valley farmer, Anthony Moura, cited the wind, heat and insects for a slower start to the haying season. So far, Moura hasn't had any buyers approach him for hay. He said he isn't worried about the lack of buyers.
"We use a lot of our own hay. We'll sell the third cutting; to us it's a cash crop. We make sure we have enough for our cows," Moura said.
According to Moura, the third cutting of alfalfa is usually higher quality hay. While most farmers will get four cuttings on their hay fields, Moura said they turn their cattle out on their fourth grow and feed their cattle through the winter on the first and second cuttings.
The higher quality hay is sold to dairies, mostly in California, Moura said.
The reported drought has not affected the farmers in the irrigation district of Lovelock, at least for this season.
The Pershing County Water Conservation District, established in the 1930s, manages Humboldt River waters that provide irrigation to many of the valleys' farms and ranches. Early in 2011, the PCWCD completed reconstruction around the Pitt-Taylor Dam, allowing for storage of river water from abundant precipitation during the prior winter. Due to insufficient amounts of rain and snow last winter, the water in Pitt-Taylor Reservoir has provided an important supplement.
"We're very fortunate having carried-over water. But we better have a good winter this year," List said.
According to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection website www.ndep.nv.gov, the PCWCD currently has 37,506 acres of irrigable land within its district. Pershing County rakes fifth in the state in cash receipts for agricultural products including: alfalfa hay, alfalfa seed, wheat, oats, and barley.
Mark Deonier, agricultural statistician with USDA National Agricultural Statistics, said there are 51 hay operations just in the Lovelock area and a total of 76 hay operations in all of Pershing County.
For the 2011 production year, there were 27,000 acres of alfalfa hay harvested in Pershing County, producing 128,000 tons or 4.75 tons per acre.
The current price of alfalfa hay in Nevada was estimated to be $209 per ton in July, down $6 per ton from June. All other hay was going for $163 per ton in July, Deonier said.
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