Yep, I am back.  My new knee is doing great and I am ready to get back to work.

Looks as most of Kansas is or will be receiving rain today.  Hopefully for those who are in droughted areas find some relief. Compared to the last report, overall alfalfa and grass hay were mostly steady and movement remains slow. Southwest Kansas remains terribly dry. Reports from producers indicate that yield is down up to one third for those who have laid down first cutting, and as expected, wheat and triticale are looking rough. Although the South-Central region, received some rain this past week, they too report that the alfalfa is very thin. The continued drought has folks really thinking hard about new crop contracts, with many reluctant to shake on a deal. Meanwhile, in Southeastern Kansas rain continues to hamper any progress in planting and more rain is expected this week. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor for May 17, abnormally dry conditions (D0) remained at 5%, moderate drought (D1) remained at 20%, severe drought (D2) decreased to 20%, extreme drought (D3) increased to 22%, and exceptional drought (D4) increased to 4%. If you have any extra hay to sell and/or need hay here in Kansas, use the services of the Internet Hay Exchange: http://www.hayexchange.com/ks.php. ** Prices below reflect the average price. There could be prices higher and lower than those published. Full Report.

. . . . . . . . . Kim Nettleton, Kansas Hay Market Reporter