Representing Agriculture on Behalf of Virginia’s Farmers

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Drought-related Hay Resources

Helping farmers hit hard by the drought

Drought conditions in Virginia have resulted in delayed or cancelled planting of crops, and a mixed bag of harvest conditions.

As of Aug. 20, almost 50% of Virginia farmland is in moderate to severe drought.

Livestock farmers who are accustomed to grazing their animals during the summer and saving hay stocks for the winter, are running out of feed sources for their cattle. The traditional method for sustaining a herd through a drought is to feed extra stored forage to compensate for decreased forage production on pastures due to drought conditions. Hay availability is extremely low, and transportation costs are very high.

Virginia Farm Bureau is here to help!

Prince William-Fairfax County Farm Bureau President Stephanie Cornnell is helping connect Virginia livestock farmers who want to purchase hay with hay sellers. She also is helping coordinate transportation.

Follow the button below to complete the form and get connected.

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Private Hay Listing Services

AgriHay Exchange A subscription-based service that includes hay and straw listings for sale by state. A free preview of hay listing is available.

AllHay.com A subscription-based service that includes hay and hauler listings for sale by state. A free preview of hay listing is available.

HaySalez Includes hay and straw listings for sale by state

LivestockMarket.com Includes hay and straw priced and bid sales listings by state

Miscellaneous Hay Listings

Augusta Coop

Farm Bureau Hay Listings

Georgia Farm Bureau

Tennessee Farm Bureau

Public Hay Listing Services and Information

USDA – Agricultural Marketing Service Hay Reports Include hay auction reports and state hay market reports

USDA - Agricultural Marketing Service Feedstuffs Reports Include reported prices for various feed ingredients

Alabama Dept. of Agriculture & Industries Hay Listing Free searchable database

Arkansas Hay Producers Database Free searchable database maintained by University of Arkansas Extension

Georgia Department of Agriculture Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin On-line and print listing for hay and other agricultural items, free subscription is required

Kentucky Department of Agriculture Hay public Search A free searchable database of Kentucky hay producers

Maryland Department of Agriculture Hay and Straw Directory 2025 listings of hay and straw for sale by county

University of Missouri Extension Hay Market Listings A joint effort by UME and Missouri Department of Agriculture and includes listings for feedstuffs, hay and searchable database

New York State Farm Directory A searchable database of New York farms and their products

North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture Ag Review Classifieds On-line listing for hay and other agricultural items in North Carolina

North Carolina Hay Finder A searchable database of North Carolina hay hosted by NC Cooperative Extension

Ohio Department of Agriculture Ohio Hay Directory Free searchable hay listing directory

Penn State University Horse Hay Producers A 2025 listing of Pennsylvania farms that sell horse hay

South Carolina Department of Agriculture Market Bulletin On-line and print listing for hay and other agricultural items, free subscription is required for printed copy

Tennessee Hay Directory Lists hay for sale in Tennessee and is hosted by Tennessee Farm Bureau and Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Virginia Cooperative Extension To buy or sell 2026 hay in Virginia, check local regional bulletins like the NRV Hay Bulletin or county producer directories through the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Virginia Market News Service Hay & Feed Listing of hay directories and hay market information

Virginia Hay Clearing House Free monthly newsletter listing of buy/sell hay listings maintain by Virginia Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services available online

West Virginia Department of Agriculture - The Market Bulletin The monthly magazine includes hay and straw listings among other agricultural items for sale

Forage Alternatives and/or Supplements to Hay During a Drought

Some grain byproducts can replace hay. For example, 1 pound of corn gluten can replace about 1.7 pounds of hay. All of the options listed here require the purchase of a tractor-trailer load. You may consider partnering with a neighbor farmer or farmers on purchasing bulk feed.

Products Available Directly to Farmers

Soybean meal and soy hull pellets Perdue will sell directly to farmers. Contact Robert Harper at VFB 804-290-1105 for Perdue’s contact information.

Wet Brewers Grain Visit Brew-to-Moo or contact Tim Catlett at 336-930-2419.

Peanut Hulls Billy Gwaltney, 757-438-7397. Not available until November.

Commodities and Feed Broker (tractor-trailer loads only)

McDaniel Trading Chapman Earhart, 540-292-7717. Most common are soyhulls, soyhull pellets, wheat midds, corn gluten, distillers, and whole shelled corn. Buyer must take 24 tons.

Trucking of Hay and Agriculture Commodities

Boot Hill Farm & Trucking 434-390-6446

Inter-state Hay Transport Requirements

The Imported Fire Ant Quarantine requires adherence to the Federal Quarantine Guidelines, which requires that the hay must be stored not directly on the ground.

As long hay bales are stored on pallets or on top of 6” thick gravel, they don’t require a phyto, inspection, or compliance agreement.

If hay is being harvested directly from the fields, without being stored off the ground, then it would require a phytosanitary inspection from the shipping state.

Hay bales stored like the photos shown below are exempt from the fire ant quarantine restrictions.

These photos show examples of hay bales that are exempt from the fire ant quarantine restrictions.

USDA Assistance

USDA-FSA has some programs to assist with the financial impact of drought. The LFP program pays a rate per animal and ELAP will pay for some transportation costs of hay and/or livestock.

Disaster assistance discovery tool

Disaster assistance programs

Disaster assistance to Virginia agricultural prodcuers

Tax Implications

If you are thinking about destocking and selling a greater amount of livestock than normal due to the drought, these articles provide information to consider regarding income, possible tax implications, and deferring income tax if restocking is done in a certain time frame.

IRS Provides Tax Relief for Drought-Affected Farmers and Ranchers Across 49 States

IRS extends relief to farmers and ranchers affected by drought in 49 states, other regions

After the Fire: Tax Considerations and Planning for Livestock Sales

Managing the Tax Impact of Weather-Related Livestock Sales

IRS Tax Relief for Drought: A Farmer’s Guide to Deferring Gains on Livestock

Information about stocking rates, strategic culling, use of alternative feeds, and more

Feeding strategies during drought

Quick guide to drought management

Alternative feeds for beef cattle during drought

Consider corn-based diets as alternatives to hay for beef cows

Evaluating alternative feed sources during drought

Livestock decision tools