Arkansas hay production grew in 2024
Hay stocks reach highest levels since 2020 — James Mitchell
By the U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Jan. 20, 2025
Fast facts:
- Hay production rose 17 percent in 2024
- U.S. hay acreage declined in 2024
(387 words)
(Newsrooms: with map and file art of hay production)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Hay acreage declined in the southeastern United States in 2024, but the region’s hay production rose 2 percent, and was up 17 percent in Arkansas, according to the Crop Production Summary from National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The summary — issued Jan. 10 — included information about U.S. hay production, acreage, and yield, as well as data for Dec. 1 hay stocks. The report categorizes the data into two segments: alfalfa and other hay, with other hay being particularly relevant for producers in the Southeast.
For the 2024-25 marketing year that started in May and ends in April, “hay stocks were higher compared to the previous year, totaling 21.01 million tons, which represents a 47 percent increase year over year,” said James Mitchell, extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
In the southeast — a region comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West
Virginia, hay stocks on May 1 reached 2.80 million tons, up 15 percent from the previous
year, Mitchell said.
“These stocks, combined with the increased hay production in 2024, have elevated hay
supplies to their highest level since 2020,” he said. “Total hay supplies for the
2024-2025 marketing year are 143.47 million tons. In the Southeast, the 2024-2025
hay supplies total 25.49 million tons, a 3 percent increase year over year, accounting
for 18 percent of total U.S. hay supplies.”
Other hay production totaled 72.62 million tons in 2024, up 6 percent from the previous
year and marking the largest annual total since 2020.
In Texas, the largest hay-producing state, production reached 11.52 million tons, more than double the total from two years prior, when it was just 5.7 million tons. In Arkansas, production increased 17 percent.
“The USDA’s estimate for Arkansas surpassed what I would have predicted last summer,”
Mitchell said. “For several states included in the Southeast total, hay production
was impacted by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene. Specifically, production in
Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee was down by 24 percent, 9 percent, and 4 percent,
respectively.
All U.S. hay acreage declined by 3.38 million acres in 2024 to 49.39 million acres.
In the Southeast, hay acreage decreased by 9.84 million acres, or 3 percent.
“Conversely, Texas saw a 5 percent increase in hay acreage,” Mitchell said. “Despite the overall decline, improved hay yields offset these reductions.”
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu