Tifton, GA |

After a year filled with extreme weather swings and difficult growing conditions, forage producers across Georgia are heading into 2026 already behind. What started as a promising season in 2025 quickly turned into a struggle, leaving many producers dealing with depleted resources and uncertainty about what lies ahead.

“The 2025 growing season I have dubbed as the year no grass was happy in the state of Georgia,” said Lisa Baxter, State Forage Extension Specialist with the University of Georgia. “We went from spring floods to very ill-timed summer droughts… and in southwest Georgia, it stopped raining in early August and honestly hasn’t really started back since then.”

A Season of Extremes

From excessive rainfall early in the year to prolonged dry conditions later on, producers were forced to navigate one challenge after another. Those conditions didn’t just impact yields—they disrupted the entire production cycle.

As the calendar turned to 2026, those same issues haven’t gone away. Instead, they’ve carried over, creating even more concern for producers trying to get a fresh start this season.

“With so much of the state being in moderate to severe drought, it’s really setting us up for a challenging start to the 2026 season,” Baxter said. “When you look across a lot of our Bermuda systems, many of us missed our last harvest… the field behind me has been the same height since August.”

Tight Hay Supplies Add Pressure

The lack of growth and missed harvest windows have created a ripple effect across the industry—especially when it comes to hay supplies. Many producers are now facing limited reserves at a time when demand is increasing.

“We couldn’t get winter grazing in the ground,” Baxter explained. “So that put an additional impact on our hay reserves… we are rapidly feeding out that hay… and there’s very little winter grazing in this state.”

That combination has left many operations in a vulnerable position, relying heavily on stored feed with little replenishment in sight.

Planning Ahead Becomes Critical

With no clear end to the dry conditions, Baxter says producers need to act early if they anticipate shortages.

“If they see their hay stocks dwindling… let’s start seeking those out sooner rather than later,” she said. “That means everybody’s going to be looking for hay at the same time. Let’s get ahead of that.”

Being proactive now could help reduce both financial strain and logistical challenges later in the season.

Starting Behind—and Staying Strategic

As producers look ahead, the reality is clear: this season is beginning at a disadvantage. From empty barns to depleted soil moisture, many are already playing catch-up.

“We’re starting this season two to three steps behind already,” Baxter said. “We may have barns empty, our soil profiles depleted… we’re starting as the underdog.”

That’s why careful management will be key—making strategic decisions about inputs, timing, and overall production plans to maximize whatever opportunities arise.

For Georgia’s forage producers, 2026 is shaping up to be a year that demands flexibility, foresight, and resilience—just to get back to even footing.

By: John Holcomb