Freshly cut and baled hay from Dan Reynolds’ farm outside Dawson City. Photo by Suzanne Crocker.
One of the challenges of raising livestock in the North is finding local feed for them. Shipping costs to the north are very expensive, so acquiring feed from the South can be prohibitive.
Growing and cutting hay is very weather dependent and the North has challenging weather. The farmer needs enough rain for the hay to grow and then a spell of dry days to cut and bale it. This spring the weather was all over the map, especially in the Klondike region. Luckily, however, July’s weather was somewhat more cooperative for both the growing and the cutting of hay.
Dan Reynolds of Dawson City grows hay at his fields off the Dempster Highway. He cuts it in July, which is earlier than most hay farmers. Although this means less yield, it translates into twice the amount of nutrition per bale.
Not surprisingly, Dan’s hay is in high demand in Dawson for horses and livestock.
The Yukon is also fortunate to have the Yukon Grain Farm, just outside of Whitehorse, as a supplier of feed for livestock. Yukon Grain Farm grows a variety of crops including grain, barley, oats, wheat, and root vegetables.
