The future for large animal sanctuaries is sustainability.  To be sustainable the largest cost - hay - must be reduced. The only way to do that is to free the sanctuary operation from its dependence upon commercial hay growers and market driven prices.  Steep hay prices can often be crippling to a sanctuary budget.

To reduce or eliminate dependence upon commercial hay prices means sanctuaries need to grow their own hay or form a hay co-op and pay a farmer to grow hay. 

We are fortunate to have enough property to set aside areas to grow our own hay.  We have one hundred acres where we grow grain hay during the spring and summer using a wheel line irrigation system.

The savings in 2011 alone was more than 50% of what the same amount of hay would have cost us if we bought it retail.

Growing hay is critical to the future of the sanctuary.