Wyo. faces worst hay crop in decades
New U.S. Agriculture Department estimates indicate Wyoming is facing one its worst hay harvests in terms of acreage in nearly 80 years.
Hay is Wyoming’s biggest cash crop, and it also is the one suffering the most from a lack of rains earlier in the season.
USDA crop yield estimates released late last week project Wyoming’s overall hay harvest this year to yield about 925,000 acres of hay.
If realized, that would make 2012 the single worst year for Wyoming hay acreage since the Dust Bowl days of 1934.
The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that overall tonnage of hay expected to be harvested in Wyoming is 1.82 million tons, down 23 percent from 2011 and the worst production since 2002.
