Regional Extension Agent Jerry Thompson said he does not know where to find a single bale of hay for sale in North Alabama.

Thompson works with cattle farmers across the region and they are all trying to find an answer to that question. The summer drought means farmers have about half the normal supply of hay they need to feed their livestock.

Thompson said he cannot remember a winter where the hay supply was so short.

"This one is fairly dramatically worse than other shortages we've seen," Thompson said. "It's normally more localized, but this is statewide and even more than statewide.

"I don't remember the last time that it was this bad."

The Associated Press says:

A hay shortage, the result of wildfires that ravaged Oklahoma early in 2006, may lead to more cases of animal starvation in the state, state agriculture experts say.

The wildfires burned more than 850,000 acres of grazing land and caused Oklahoma to lose more than 60 percent of its hay stock. Rising hay prices, fueled in part by higher transportation costs, mean some farmers have to make hard decisions when it comes to feeding their animals, said state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry spokesman Jack Carson.

Some farmers, Carson said, are planning to sell portions of their herds because of the food shortage, because the animals aren't worth keeping financially if there isn't enough food to keep them healthy.

Others, he said, aren't feeding their animals enough food, or even at all.

Last month, Grant County authorities found seven starving horses and more than 40 animal carcasses on a farm. Sheriff Roland Hula said the animals had eaten all the grass and had taken to eating sticks and rocks.

A lack of high-quality hay likely will affect horses more than other farm animals, said Steven Cooper, an assistant professor of animal science at Oklahoma State University. Cattle and goats can make better use of low-quality foods, he said, because of the way they digest.

He said that some farmers already are feeding their cattle corn stalks instead of hay.

"No one is going to call the police to complain about a starving cow," Cooper said.

Some horse owners also are trying to sell their animals because of the increased costs of hay, Cooper said. An alfalfa bale that might usually cost $3.50 could sell for up to $10 this year, he said.

Here is a quick place to find people who have hay to sell. You can see people in every state who are offering or have offered hay for sale. Those who have offered hay for sale list their phone numbers, which makes it easy to find hay farmers near you.

Farm Machinery More Valuable

This article on Agriculture Online interested me.

It details how used farm equipment, from tractors to combines and planters, are not getting less valuable with age, as you might expect. The value of this machinery is actually rising with time. This story would be very appealing to many of you in rural areas. I suspect many of you also have farm-machinery auctions near you.

Port Security

In Miami yesterday, three men were arrested for trying to enter the city's port without the required paperwork. Port security has been a national issue for years, because it impossible to examine the contents of every container that comes in or out.

Recently, federal legislation took effect that requires port workers nationwide to purchase a high-tech security card. The card will cost truck drivers, longshoremen and others $159 each. You can imagine how thrilled they are with that idea.

The Portland (Maine) Press Herald reports:

Some workers will have to buy the cards as soon as March. But a time has not been specified for port operators and ship owners to buy the equipment that reads the cards, according to a rule announced Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security.

The agencies issuing the cards -- the Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration -- still have to test the card readers and decide on specifications.

"We're going to be paying $139 to $159 and we don't know how they work?" said Steve Stallone, spokesman for the San Francisco-based International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

TSA chief Kip Hawley said the government's main interest is port security. Until card readers are installed, Coast Guard patrols will conduct random checks of the cards with handheld devices, he said.

The cards were first ordered by Congress in 2002 as a way to strengthen security at seaports, considered vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

What Does All This Warm Weather Mean?

The Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal says clothing stores are hating the much-warmer-than-normal December and January weather because they are having trouble moving winter merchandise.

The cherry blossoms are blooming in D.C., and it is 80 degrees here in Florida. There are some predictions that 2007 may be the warmest year on record. Read more from The Washington Post.

The Weather Channel said this weekend:

By Saturday afternoon, around three dozen daily records were either tied or broken, including Boston; New York; Newark, [N.J.]; Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. In fact, all-time highs for the month of January were set in Albany, N.Y., and Hartford, Conn. Albany's high Saturday was roughly 40 degrees above the daily average high! This was warmth more typical of April or early May! Joggers were able to work out in New York's Central Park in shorts today! ... The weather pattern will gradually, over the next few days, downshift back into somewhat more typical January temperatures.

Fighting to Save Big-Wave Surfing

Out in California, devotees of big-wave surfing are fighting to keep their "sport" alive in the face of federal regulations that could limit the types of watercraft used to tow the surfers out to the huge waves.