A new government forecast says alfalfa hay production is up 15 percent in Kansas after a huge spike in harvested acres.
Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported Friday that Kansas growers are expected to harvest 2.25 million tons of alfalfa hay. The expected yield of 3 tons per acre is the same as a year ago, but it is coming off about 750,000 acres.
Kansas farmers planted 100,000 more acres of alfalfa hay this year in response to record hay prices last year.
Kansas growers also harvested 1.8 million acres of other types of hay, about 50,000 more acres than last year.
But despite those added acres, production of other hay types is forecast to be down 12 percent from last year at 2.16 million tons.
