How Dry We Are: Missouri Ag Experts Run the Numbers for Their State

According to a warning published by the University of Missouri, the drought may be "over" in Missouri, but the effects linger, especially when it comes to the prospects for the 2007 hay crop.

Craig Roberts, a professor of agronomy in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri, warned that the quantity of this year’s hay crop will be down 50 percent to 75 percent from normal, but the nutritional value will be good.

On May 1, Missouri hay stocks were 625,000 tons. This is down 28 percent from a year ago and 71 percent below May 1, 2005. Hay stocks are at their lowest level since 1984, when it had dropped to 328,000 tons.

“Last year, we had the drought, which affected both the quantity and the quality of the hay,” Roberts said. “This year, we had a late freeze, which mainly affects the yield. Overall, we will be down, but the drought last year was far worse.”

Rainfall varied greatly across Missouri in May with portions of the northwest and west central areas of the state receiving seven to eleven inches of rain while the Bootheel in Southeast Missouri received only two to three inches of rain.

Significant irrigation is underway in some areas. In dry land areas with no irrigation, corn leaves are rolling, an indicator of stress, especially in sandy soils, according to Pat Guinan, University of Missouri climatologist with the Extension Commercial Agriculture Program.

Also from Missouri, Scott Brown, research assistant professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and program director of livestock and dairy with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) has issued a forecast for milk prices to rise $1.00 to $1.50 per gallon across the USA. (The national average is $3.10, according to Brown.) However, the rise in dairy prices is linked to a global demand for US dairy products, not to drought conditions or hay prices/quality/shortages, according to Brown.

How Dry We Are: US Drought Affects Wild Horses, Too

American horseowners are starting to feel the "ouch!" of rising prices for hay and grain, particularly in the West. But imagine if your hay bill was not just for your own horses...but for an entire herd.

That's the problem faced by South Dakota's Karen Sussman, founder of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, an organization with the mission of saving wild horses threatened with elimination and slaughter. Sussman cares for more than 350 horses on her 680-acre ranch near Lantry, South Dakota.

I interviewed Karen last week when she was elated; it was raining!

She said that last year no hay had been baled within 100 miles of her farm. She is now paying more than double the normal cost of her 1400-pound round bales. They are now $125 per ton, compared to $50-60 a ton in pre-drought times.

Not only does hay cost more in a drought, but you must feed more of it, since pastures are unlikely to provide enough grass. In Karen's case, it means feeding hay to her #3 herd, which usually can live on grass. She is also having to fill her horses' water tanks with her town's water--and pay for it--since her own well went dry last summer.

"Imagine watching grass going yellow in June," she mused. "And imagine feeding hay to over 300 horses for six months when you weren't expecting to feed hay at all. And that's at double the price."

I hope you will take a minute and look out the window. What colors do you see? In many parts of the world, green is missing from the color palette.

How Dry We Are: Laminitis, Vitamin E Deficiency May Be Side Effect of Drought, Researcher Warns

via press release from the University of Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. — While much of the Midwest has recovered from the drought that parched the area last year, horses are continuing to experience effects from the hot dry summer of 2006. Due to a bad hay crop, University of Missouri-Columbia veterinarians are reporting an increased number of horses with chronic selenosis and vitamin E deficiency, problems that can be fatal.

“Last year’s drought meant that Missouri’s hay crop, which is usually balanced very well for a horse’s nutrition, was much poorer than usual,” said Philip Johnson, professor of veterinary medicine and surgery. “Because of the poor Missouri hay crop, horse owners imported hay from other states nearby and possibly fed their horses hay that was too high in selenium. This can have very grave consequences for horses. Owners also may have fed their horses poor quality hay from Missouri or other places, which led to deficiencies in vitamin E, another very dangerous problem for horses.”

Selenium is a naturally occurring element and is an essential part of horse diets. However, too much or too little can create problems for a horse. When chronic selenosis, or selenium poisoning, occurs from eating too much of the element, horses can lose the hair in the mane and tail and develop a form of laminitis, a painful condition that affects the hoof. If left untreated for too long, a horse with chronic selenosis may require euthanasia as a result of severe laminitis.

Johnson said that the amount of selenium in hay can vary by county throughout the nation, but that Missouri hay typically has just the right amount of the essential element. For a small fee, horse owners can have their hay tested to determine if it has the right amount of selenium in it.

In addition, hay that is not fresh can lack vitamin E, an antioxidant which is important for nerve health in a horse. Some horse owners unknowingly compensate for this deficiency by feeding their animals with nutritional supplements. Those horses that suffer from a vitamin E deficiency typically show symptoms that include weakness, loss of weight, trembling and changes in the retina at the back of the eyeball. A quick blood test can determine if the animal is suffering from a vitamin E deficiency. Johnson recommends that horse owners who imported hay from unknown sources last year either have the hay tested or keep a close watch on their horses. Horses that do not have access to green grass and that are being fed old yellow hay are at risk.

“Usually, by the time the horse is showing symptoms of either problem, it may be too late to reverse the disease completely,” Johnson said. “However, if a horse owner has other horses that are feeding from the same food source, it’s important to have those animals treated before the damage is permanent.”

Photo of Dr. Johnson provided by University of Missouri. Dr. Johnson will speak on his important research on the subject of laminitis and represent his university at the Fourth International Equine Conference of Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, a gathering of the world's leading researchers and field practitioners in West Palm Beach, Florida in November.

How Dry We Are: The Jurga Report Special Focus

Beginning today, this blog will begin to shed light on the serious drought conditions affecting horses and humans all over the world. I have hinted at this in many posts, or mentioned drought conditions when they make headlines, but the individual small stories together make for a compelling tale. Sooner or later, drought conditions in some or all of the world will affect us all, and our horses.

Whether it is an aberrant weather pattern in Africa affecting the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic, or lack of snowpack in the high Rockies affecting the price of hay and grain, or Australian horses reduced to eating shredded cardboard, it is time for us to start thinking globally...and helping people and horses in need.

Last year, I wrote in EQUUS about the drought in Africa activating anthrax spores in the soil, which lead to the deaths of many endangered zebras. That could happen in other parts of the world as well.

One of the few good things to say about drought is that it keeps the mosquito population down, and horseowners in the Southeast and Far West may have slightly less concern about mosquito-borne diseases this season. Small consolation!

We have another building crisis on the horizon, which is the potential for a shortage of grain and hay in the USA from the combined threats of drought, high fuel prices, and the transition of hay fields across the country to corn for use in ethanol production. The recent scare over suspect feed additives from China was no coincidence: as domestic grain crops diminish or skyrocket in price, our feed and supplement manufacturers will be more and more dependent on Asian sources. I will try to keep you linked to stories on those issues, as well.

Needless to say, if you live in an area directly affected by drought, or have thoughts on how drought affects horses, please email me or click on the comments link at the end of your post to add your thoughts.

I hope you will take these drought posts to heart and realize the interconnectedness of all things equine, all around the world. May your water buckets be full and your paddocks green.