FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Farms across Northern Colorado are sounding the alarm: this year's drought isn't just hurting crops, but it's also creating a ripple effect through the food supply.
The shortage at hay farms is being felt well beyond the fields.
- See the state of these Northern Colorado farms, in the video player below.
Bill Markham, owner of M&M Farms, said the lack of water is straining operations across the agricultural supply chain.
"We don't have the water... the dairies are scrambling, trying to find feed to keep feeding those cows for the milk, and the feedlots to produce meat," Markham said.
Rodney Anderson, owner of Anderson Patchwork, said the math simply doesn't add up for Colorado alone this year.
"There's going to have to be hay come in from other states probably... there's no way there's going to be enough hay this year," Anderson said.
At Hilltop Hay & Livestock in Fort Collins, workers are cutting hay as owner Cheri Kraft walks through what remains of this year's supply.
"We've had a lot of changes with drought... it has decreased our supply of flood water onto our hay crops, and so we're down at least 75%," Kraft said.
The cause is a combination of low mountain snowpack and reduced access to flood irrigation water. The farm has private wells, but they aren't enough to make up the difference.
"We do have some wells... but also flood water. Because of the mountain snowpack being so low, it has impacted the Front Range drastically," Kraft said.
With production down sharply, the hay the farm does harvest sells quickly at higher prices.
To feed cattle this winter, Hilltop Hay & Livestock is already planning to bring in hay from outside Colorado.
"For what we feed our cattle this winter, we'll need to bring hay in from other states," Kraft said.
She is praying for a better situation.
"We're praying for rain... not only for this area but for many others too, because a lot of Colorado is in the same situation that we are," Kraft said.
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