Farmers in the drought-ravaged Plains are running low on hay and straw, and it's got market prices around the country running higher as cattle producers scramble to nail down supply when and where they can.

Demand and prices remain strong in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota, all states where producers are seeing a lot of out-of-state demand, mostly coming from the southern Plains, according to Ken Barnett with the University of Wisconsin Extension Center for Dairy Profitability.

"Demand was good to very good for all classes of hay. A lot of inquiry was from buyers in Oklahoma and Texas. In South Dakota, hay prices were mixed to $8.30 higher," Barnett says. "There was very good demand for hay, still a good bit of hay moving south to the extreme drought areas of the country. Hay growers have been busy this week making their third cutting of alfalfa as the week has been dry and warm."

Overall, prices for alfalfa in large round bales were 8% higher than the previous week, Barnett says.

Looking for places to get ahold of more hay for your herd? Check out these sites:

• Iowa Hay & Straw Directory
• Upper Midwest Haylist
• South Dakota State University Extension 'Feed Finder'
• Wisconsin Extension hay-list
• Missouri Hay Market
• Nebraska Department of Agriculture Hay & Forage hotline
• Colorado hay directory

Get more price information and hay buying resources