Recently we have experienced several good stretches of "hay days."

A good hay day is one that is hot, sunny, low humidity and a breeze. On farms that harvested their first cutting in May, second cutting is well under way. Hay is the most predominant crop in Western Pennsylvania.

In Butler County alone, hay acreage accounts for more than 40,000 acres, with mixed hay being the most prevalent. Alfalfa is the type of hay with the best relative feed value, but is costly to establish. Alfalfa is typically produced on dairy and livestock operations.

Alfalfa hay also generally has the highest value of any type of hay. Although there are some niche markets, for example Alpaca hay, which could also be quite profitable to produce.

Although haymaking has become highly mechanized from the old days of loose hay being pitched by hand, there still is a labor requirement. This is especially true with small square bales, that is why many operations utilize round bales or large square bales. Small squares require a lot of labor that is often unavailable. As one producer said: Hay is a three-letter word for work.

Report crop acreage

A final reminder is being provided to all producers that July 15 is the final day to report crop acres to the Farm Service Agency. FSA program participants are required to file acreage reports.

Acreage reports not filed by the deadline will be assessed a late fee of $46 per farm. For those producers who maintain crop insurance, a summary acreage report will be provided to the producer that can, in turn, be provided to the crop insurance agent.

The July 15th deadline is for the following crops: Hay, soybeans, corn, fruits and vegetables and CREP acreage.

Sometimes future farm program eligibility is based upon previous year's acreage reports. Planting history for a farm has numerous purposes that sometimes are not known until years later. It is always a good idea to file an acreage report.

Producers can call the office if they choose to set up an appointment or just "walk in." It only takes about 15 minutes per farm. For those unable to visit the office, aerial photos can be requested by mail, and then the acreage report can be completed by FSA and mailed to the producer. This option is helpful to producers who work away from the farm or are too distant to make the trip to Butler.

Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.