Chaffhaye Expands for 2012-  1/20/2012

With alfalfa prices at record highs and supplies at record lows, many livestock owners began looking for a high quality and cost effective alternative to the typical dry bales.  Many of these livestock owners found this alternative in Chaffhaye Alfalfa.  The family owned company of Chaffhaye is located in the high desert of West Texas and situated in the center of the Dell Valley or “Valley of Hidden Waters”.  These “hidden waters” have been the key to producing alfalfa even through the worst Texas drought on record according to President Steve Rader.  He says, “Because of the availability of water we are able to precisely control the irrigation. This allows us to not only continue to produce alfalfa in a drought, but to produce the best alfalfa”. 

While the consistency and quality of this alfalfa has attracted new livestock owners during the drought stricken ’11, it’s the additional benefits not normally found with dry bales that provided this company of 25 years with a loyal and steadily growing customer base.  Mr. Rader says, “Our alfalfa is fresh chopped and bagged within four hours locking in all the pasture-like characteristics usually lost in the drying process  That’s why we call Chaffhaye the “Pasture in a Bag”.  This Pasture in a Bag then undergoes a fermentation process that in essence pre-digest the already high quality forage. This provides a significantly higher digestibility in both ruminants and non-ruminants.  Along with this pre-digestion, Chaffhaye is also a pro-biotic, something many livestock owners have found to be the key to the optimal health of their animals.  Pro-biotics keep the micro flora found in  the rumen, (the cecum of horses) at a consistent and healthy level.  This provides an ideal pH level allowing for the proper breakdown and assimilation of nutrients with a reduction in digestion and stress related complications.  “It seems these benefits have really began to catch on as of late” says Mr. Rader. Chaffhaye sales have increased 30% annually over the last five years with a 70% increase in 2011 alone. Chaffhaye is sold in over 30 states and several foreign countries reaching as far as Kobe, Japan.  With this demand, Chaffhaye has had no option but to expand their production. “We completely redid our machinery and production line four years ago and have just expanded our warehouse and production facilities by an additional 70,000 sq. ft.  We estimate a 40% increase in production for 2012”, Mr. Rader states. 

 

The vastly growing demand for alfalfa overseas and the droughts expected to continue over many parts of the US means this little West Texas company will be a major player in the alfalfa game for years to come.