Texas direct hay report for Feb. 18

Compared to the last report: Hay prices are mostly steady in all regions. Hay demand has picked up, but truck shortages and increased freight costs by as much as 25% have slowed the hay trade some. As producers get ready to prep fields and begin planting for next year, inflation is on there minds both in the form of trucking and inputs needed to put up a quality crop. As a result, some producers are considering growing less forages for this upcoming year to try to manage the increase in input prices, and the difficulty finding trucking on the back side of the production. There is still a lot of off grade forages on the market, which has helped livestock producers manage through this dry winter and dwindling winter forages. The majority of the state could use some moisture, with the Panhandle and the West reporting the most extreme drought conditions