PIKE COUNTY, ILL. -- Due to this year's drought, cattle farmers have begun to think about the future of their herd. Hay prices increased around the area, becoming costly for the farmers.
The Orr Beef Research Center feeds its cattle with an alternative feed, which is more expensive.
The drought made it more difficult for cows to find grass out in the pasture.
Travis Meteer works at the Orr Center and says they use a feed that includes corn stalks. Although the price of beef is not affected now, Meteer said that in a few years it will increase. This will be a result of people liquidating their herds early.
A couple of years ago, a bale of hay cost around sixty dollars a ton. This year, prices increased to around two hundred dollars a ton.
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