Photo Provided Cows and horses roam areas in Belmont County, including State Route 800, State Route 147 and New Athens due to lack of hay and wanting more nutritious food.

COWS AND horses have been getting out of their fields and roaming around Belmont County, looking for food.

The animals are leaving their fields because of a lack of hay, according to Belmont County Hoof & Paw Humane Agent Julie Larish. She described the animals as thinking the “grass is greener on the other side,” and choosing to go somewhere where the grass looks better.

Farmers have been rationing the amount of hay they put out this season following the summer drought. Larish said instead of putting out “ample hay,” where animals can eat two to four days on it, farmers are putting out enough hay to keep them maintaining their weight.

Farmers are not overfeeding at this point in time because hay prices have skyrocketed, Larish said. She added there is no hay available in the Ohio Valley right now, so people have been trucking it in, which is something that rarely happens. She added that Belmont County is in a moderate drought, meaning farmers are not getting a return on their springs. If springs are no longer flowing, the farmers have issues with limited water availability. This is another reason the animals are getting out of their fences, she said.

Belmont County Hoof & Paw has been receiving calls reporting cows and horses on the loose for about a month now, and the numbers of complaints are rising with no hay in the fields, Larish said.

Larish noted people have bought up all of the hay around this area, so those who have hay are doubling the price.

Larish said she has some farmers working together on this issue by splitting the cost of the hay and trucking when bringing it into Belmont County.

She added there are a couple reasons why hay prices are increasing, including the need to truck hay in from two hours away. Hay is coming from places such as Pennsylvania, Kentucky and northern Ohio.

The animals are roaming around Ohio 800, Ohio 147 and in New Athens. Some cows have gotten to the National Road area in Bridgeport.

“Our recommendation is you slow down,” Larish said. “We never know when they’re going to pop out.”

Larish wants people to understand farmers are feeding their horses and cows to maintain weight but they are starting to ration.

Hoof & Paw tries to go out and help owners get their animals back into their fences when it receives a call.

Larish noted that when there is no water, the nutrients in the grass are not the same, so animals are eating the grass but their nutritional levels are down, which is another reason animals are getting out because they are looking for nutritious food.

“What they don’t understand is that grass on the other side is no more nutritious than what’s in their field,” she said.

Larish suggested that farmers put supplements with the hay, which will help keep animals inside their fences. Farmers can help the issue by providing nutrients from mineral and vitamin blocks.

Larish added that people shouldn’t be alarmed if they don’t see hay in a field because many farmers are strategizing and feeding at night.