The moisture that leads to the abundance of hay in other parts of the country also leads to other problems. To much mud, leaching of fertilizer, and some extra animal health issues. This time of year I am carefull to feed in a place where the cows won't stand in mud up to the bellies after a few days. There was a story that went around several years ago about a guy who moved to eastern Ohio to raise cattle on reclaimed strip mine ground. When he arrived he talked about how great of an envestment it was. With the rain they got there he could raise so many more cows than what he did out west (I can't remember where he came from). I guess he thought that grass would grow without fertilizer. That stip mine ground is as poor as it comes. Never heard how he did. There are some who do well raising cattle on that ground. It would be a wanderful dream to not spend $50 to $75 per calf on fertilizer, replace fence every couple years from deer damage and not be wallering in mud four months of the year. I guess it's all relative and we all have our own challenges.
