OTHER NEWS - Oct. 18, 1993

Flooding Causes Midwest Fodder Shortage: The incessant rains of spring and summer have shrunk hay production, posing a serious problem for cattle farmers. Hay production is off about 15% in Iowa, Mississippi and Oklahoma, down nearly 10% in Kansas, more than 20% lower in Texas and almost 30% lower in Georgia. Farmers say the forage that survived is short on nutrients. Farmers whose flood losses make them unable to afford higher prices to feed their cattle through winter will dismantle breeding herds or find their cattle at risk of death or serious illness. Premium hay for dairy herds is now fetching up to $145 a ton in Iowa, compared with $80 to $100 a ton in most years.