USDA Montana Hay                                   10/02 17:35
AMS_2769
 
Montana Direct Hay Report

                               Released on October 02, 2026
 
Direct Hay Weighted Average Report for week ending 10/02/2026
 
                                      VOLUME
                    This Week         Last Reported         Last Year
                                       (09/14/2026)
Tons:
      Hay           805                 4000                30                  
      Straw                             50                  100                 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      Total         805                 4050                130                 
======================================================================

Compared to last report(9-18-26): Hay sold generally steady.
Demand for hay is mostly moderate to good.
Supplies are mostly moderate.
Demand for hay has lightened some as fall rains have helped improve late 
season grazing conditions in some locations.
Some locations are putting up 3rd and 4th cuttings as warm weather and 
late season rains have allowed for additional cuttings.
Many report strong yields on 3rd cutting especially in western and central 
Montana.
Hay in the northern half of the state remains a discount to southern 
hay as sellers compete with hay coming out of Canada and across highway 
2 from North Dakota.
Most of this hay continues to be delivered for 180.00-230.00 depending 
on freight and quality.
Demand for hay to ship into Wyoming is good to very good, especially 
in southern Montana.
High freight costs have caused hay to see localized pricing as delivery 
costs continue to increase.
Some producers continue to report excess loads of hay available as some 
buyers backed out of spoken for hay as lower prices in surrounding 
states and Canada eased supply concerns.
According to the drought monitor 37.77% the state is in Moderate drought 
or worse, down 9.25% from 2 weeks ago.
13.09% of the state is in an Severe drought or worse, down 5.00% from 
2 weeks ago.
4.94% of the state is in Extreme drought or worse, down 0.07% from 2 weeks ago.
0% of the state is in Expectational drought, unchanged from 2 weeks ago.
Notably, 61.04% of the state is abnormally dry, down 16.46% from 2 weeks ago.

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                                   North
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Hay Conventional
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Alfalfa Fair Per Ton
                        Qty   Price Range Wtd    Freight/   Description Crop Age
                                          Avg    Use
                        ---   ----------- ---    ---------- ----------- --------
 Large Round            500       160.0   160    F.O.B.