Tri-County Hay & Straw Auction started as only Metcalfe, Monroe & Barren Counties.  Today the cooperating counties are Allen, Barren, Hart, Metcalfe, & Monroe.   The anticipated annual event is something both buyers and sellers of hay and straw have come to depend on.  Seemingly each year presents undesirable weather conditions that brings about a forage supply shortage for some producers.  The auction system of selling hay allows the supply and demand to accurately drive the market.   In fact, the Tri County Hay & Straw Auction allows all producers to get an idea of the value of their forage.  

 In the fifth year of the sale, thirteen different consigners offered over 900 rolls of dry grass or legume hay.  Additionally over 2000 small square bales.  Rolled baleage, and small squares of straw rounded out the forage that was available.

2023 marked year number of 5 of this event.  Over the course of these 5 years, over $166,000 of forage has been sold.   46 different consignors have sold at the sale over the 5 years.  Consignor development and recruitment is an ongoing process as many consignor have established relationships with customers who now buy directly from the farm.   These relationship are another positive outcome to the Tri-County Hay Auction.  Farmers has witnessed first-hand that quality hay brings a quality price.

The 2023 sale also saw new partnerships emerge.  Flu Vaccines and health screenings were made available to those in attendance through Western Kentucky University, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, & Barren River Health Department.  University of Kentucky Extension and Supplemental Nutrition Education, as well as, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife have development nutritional recipes using Kentucky wild game.  Hay auction participants were able to sample venison chili and received information about addition Cook Wild Recipes

               Livestock and forage producers in South Central Kentucky look forward to last Saturday in January when hay and straw go on the auction block at the Tri-County Hay & Straw Auction.  What started a way to simply get buyer and sellers together, has growing into an economic development opportunity and a teachable moment.