Colorado launches digital hay directory to help Logan County ranchers

Logan County ranchers hunting for hay during a dry summer are getting a new state tool built for speed: Colorado’s 2026 Digital Hay Directory opened June 18 as a real-time database instead of the old annual print list. The Colorado Department of Agriculture says the change is meant to help buyers search across county lines and state borders, a practical shift for livestock owners who cannot afford to lose days calling around for feed that may already be gone.

That matters in Logan County, where agriculture is not a side business but a core piece of the local economy. USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 901 farms in the county, with 1,126,091 acres in farms and an average farm size of 1,250 acres. Livestock, poultry and products made up 84% of agricultural sales, and the county’s market value of agricultural products sold reached $732.7 million. Forage and haylage rank among the county’s major crops by acreage, which makes access to hay a direct management issue for ranchers trying to keep cattle fed.

The state is widening the directory this year by accepting listings from out-of-state hay producers, an acknowledgment that Colorado’s drought has tightened supplies well beyond county boundaries. The listing form also lets buyers filter by region, forage type, bale type and size, lab analysis availability, certified weed-free status and organic certification. For ranchers facing long drives and uncertain inventories, that turns hay sourcing from a string of phone calls into a searchable market.

The timing is no accident. On June 4, Governor Jared Polis declared a statewide drought emergency and activated Phase 3 of Colorado’s Drought Response Plan, saying all 64 counties were experiencing at least abnormally dry conditions. The state said nearly 93% of Colorado was in Moderate to Exceptional Drought, the water year from October 2025 through June 4 was the warmest on record, and May 1 runoff forecasts ranged from 21% to 37% of median across the state’s river basins. Colorado had already activated Phase 2 of the drought plan in March and convened the statewide Drought Task Force.

The hay directory is only one part of the response. Colorado State University Extension is directing livestock owners to drought resources on alternative feeding strategies, stretching hay supplies, nitrate poisoning and drought management for cattle and horses. The state also says producers can report how drought is affecting their operations so the Drought Task Force can assess conditions and share resources. That is a sign Colorado is treating feed access as infrastructure, not just commerce.

Recent market pressure shows why. A June 16 report said ranchers on the Western Slope were hearing hay prices of about $300 to $400 a ton, up from a typical $150 to $180. In a county where livestock sales dominate and hay is central to keeping herds alive, the real test of the new directory will be whether it helps local producers move faster than the drought.