There are expectations that this year’s fall calf run could be earlier than normal this year as producers in drier areas try to cut back their feeding costs.

Livestock producers in a number of areas are trying to source extra feed to help carry their herd through the winter.

Bill Huber, President of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association says dry conditions last year and a harsh winter means there’s very little carryover.

He notes and now for the second year in a row things have been extremely dry in a number of areas.

“Especially south of the Trans-Canada highway and maybe more in the southwest, and even north up to Diefenbaker Lake, there are areas that are really suffering.   Their hay is probably anywhere from 30% to 50% of normal, some places they hardly got anything. Where I come from northeast of Regina I’d say we’ll see a little less than average about 70% of normal.”

Huber says there are other areas in the Province that have lots of hay and maybe they’ll be producers that will have some for sale.

Some producers are even importing hay from the U-S, one of the challenges with that, however, can be the potential to bring new or noxious weeds into the area.

He says producers are looking at a variety of feed options.

“When you’ve got to start buying feed at a $150 to $200 a tonne it’s not good, not at all. You know they’re entrepreneurs and they come up with ideas and ways of making things work by buying straw and feed grains. Most of them will get through without depopulating a big number of cows.”

He says some producers have purchased and cut hailed-out crops for silage or hay, while others are looking at hefty transport bills as they buy hay out of Montana.