In northwest South Dakota, cow-calf producer Eric Jennings says there are severe to extreme drought conditions. “We lost a lot of production early, missing out on April and May showers and snowstorms. We won’t get that production back. It’s better now, but everyone is still very short on feed. Hay is in short supply and water has become a real issue.” Jennings, who is president of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, says finding good forage is difficult right now, but finding affordable forage is even more difficult. “There’s (hay priced at) $250 per ton and likely more to have it delivered. It’s such a wide area around us that’s dry. We had a great hay crop in 2019, we tapped into that carryover last year, but we’ll finish it this year and run short. Cattle are going to market.”
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