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Abstract
Hay is one of the most widely harvested U.S. crops. Nearly half of the farms in the United States harvested hay in 1992. Hay trails only corn and wheat in total acres harvested. Alfalfa is the chief type of hay harvested, accounting for 60 percent of the value of hay harvested in 1990-94. Nearly $800,000,000 was paid by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to growers in ad hoc disaster assistance for hay between 1988 and 1993. About 70 percent of the payments were made for the 1988 crop, when severe drought struck the Midwest. Crop insurance has been available for hay in a limited number of counties.