Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK
Oklahoma Alfalfa Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station

Alfalfa Hay Markets Demand for Alfalfa Hay
This is the second of several brief articles containing information from a study  to examine potential markets for alfalfa hay. The specific topic covered in this article is demand for alfalfa hay in the U.S. Years chosen to examine were those of the largest and smallest production of alfalfa in the U.S. since 1980, 1986 and 1988, and a more recent year, 1995.  Demand for Alfalfa  The largest average daily consumption of alfalfa hay is by dairy cows. Figure 1 shows dairy cow numbers by state for 1995 with the ten leading states identified. The rankings of the leading states changed relatively little over the period studied (Table 1). The five leading states (Wisconsin, California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota) were the same in all three years and ordering was the same for the three leading states. Most notable was the increased importance of California and Texas. As a percent of the U.S. total, Arizona and New Mexico also increased, suggesting a modest shift in dairying towards the southwestern U.S.  In lieu of available data, animal scientists surveyed were asked to estimate daily consumption of alfalfa hay for each species during the winter months and also summer months when grazing is possible on growing forages. Average consumption of alfalfa hay per head per day varied considerably between winter and summer months and among states as expected. Estimated average daily alfalfa hay consumption (lbs./head/day) over a twelve-month period by species was: dairy cattle, 12.3; beef cattle, 3.6; feedlot cattle, 1.6; horses, 6.2; and sheep, 1.6. These estimates are lower than frequently cited, especially for dairy cattle, for two reasons. We asked only about alfalfa hay, not grazed alfalfa or alfalfa harvested in other forms, and we averaged winter and summer consumption estimates, rather than focusing on just the heavier consumption period during the winter.  Table 1. Ten Largest Dairy Cow Inventory States, 1986, 1988, and 1995.  1986 1988 1995 State Percent of U.S. State Percent of U.S. State Percent of U.S. Wisconsin 16.93 Wisconsin 17.38 Wisconsin 15.81 California 9.22 California 9.76 California 13.18 New York 8.66 New York 8.20 New York 7.48 Minnesota 8.41 Minnesota 7.87 Pennsylvania 6.74 Pennsylvania 6.68 Pennsylvania 7.03 Minnesota 6.32 Michigan 3.55 Ohio 3.57 Texas 4.22 Ohio 3.49 Michigan 3.48 Michigan 3.51 Iowa 3.22  Texas 3.30  Ohio 3.09 Texas 2.88 Iowa 2.90 Washington 2.77 Missouri 2.10 Missouri 2.18 Iowa 2.64
Clement E. Ward, Extension Economist  Solomon Kariuki, and Ray Huhnke  Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department of Agricultural Economics  Oklahoma State University

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