An exceptionally dry year calls for calm and forward planning

Anyone who has looked outside over the past few months probably doesn't need us to explain that 2026 has been an exceptionally dry year. Across large parts of Europe, high temperatures and prolonged drought have left their mark.

We're seeing the effects in the fields too. Grass is growing more slowly or has stopped growing altogether, and after a good first cut, the next cut has been disappointing in some areas or has barely materialised at all. This is putting pressure on the availability of hay and other forage. We're now feeling the effects at Hay to You as well.

High demand and longer delivery times

Demand for forage has risen sharply recently. Many horse owners and other animal keepers are already looking ahead to autumn and winter and want to secure their supplies now. We completely understand. After all, you want to be sure your animals will have enough good-quality forage when they need it.

At the same time, we're seeing that uncertainty in the market is leading some people to order much earlier and in far greater quantities than usual. This puts even more pressure on stocks, transport and scheduling, and our delivery times are getting longer too. We want to be open about that.

But above all, we want to say: stay calm.

Planning ahead is sensible. Stockpiling unnecessarily isn't.

Hay to You and our parent company have been supplying forage for 20 years. During that time, we've dealt with extreme weather, difficult harvests and tight forage markets before. Even in those years, we were able to keep supplying our customers.

That's why we're working hard behind the scenes to secure stocks, find new batches and organise our logistics as efficiently as possible. We're not just looking at what's available today, but especially at what we expect to need in the months ahead. So we're asking you to order ahead sensibly, without building up stocks that are much larger than you would normally need. Not only because that may be unnecessary, but also because it helps us make sure as many animal keepers as possible can get good-quality forage when they need it.

Order in good time, but leave enough for others too

Will you need more hay, straw or other forage soon? Then place your order earlier than you normally would and allow for a longer delivery time.

Do you still have enough in stock for the time being? Then there's no need to order several extra months' worth out of fear.

We monitor the market, available batches and our stocks every day. And when the situation changes, we'll let you know. Openly and clearly, so you know where you stand. After 20 years in the forage trade, there's one thing we know for certain: a difficult year calls for smart purchasing, forward planning and sometimes a little extra creativity. Not panic.

We go for gold and green. Even when times are tough.

Take good care of your animals, order in good time and give others some room too. We'll do everything we can to keep delivering forage where it belongs: to your animals.