NIPOMO - Horse owners are digging deeper these days to buy top quality alfalfa hay.
"Its 20 dollars a bale and we've never see these kind of prices, ever", says Nipomo horse owner Andrew Cunningham, "we have six horses so it's costing about 800 dollars a month."
Nipomo hay retailer Kenny Nelson has been in the hay business for decades.
"This year is record numbers", Nelson says, "it's higher than it's ever been."
When it comes to feeding horses the quality of the hay is what counts.
"What people like to see is some leaf in it and good color and stuff like that", Nelson says, "its summer hay, its not a high value test, it's about the fourth or fifth cutting and its premium for horses."
Because of its superior quality there is a greater demand for California-grown alfalfa hay overseas, especially in the Far East.
"A lot of the hay goes to Japan", Nelson says, "they changed the market quite a bit they want the number one premium stuff too. Another market that has just opened up, Saudi Arabia is buying a lot of hay."
With Central Valley farmers switching to higher value row crops, rising diesel fuel prices and greater demand from cattle ranchers, premium California alfalfa hay is harder to find.
"If we don't see a lot more rain this year", Nelson says, "if we don't see at least five inches to finish up our wet season there's going to be a huge demand and I think prices will stay high."
It's an expensive reality that's proving too costly for some horse owners.
"I've read about it, people are just letting their horses starve or setting them loose in other states", Andrea Cunningham says, "I'm not willing to do that, I'm willing to take good care of our animals."
