Surprise Pandemic-Related Hay Shortage Hurts Montana Ranchers

We've been talking a lot about shortages brought on by the pandemic lately. Foam shortages are impacting furniture stores, jet fuel shortages are causing problems when fighting wildfires, even Red Bull shortages are failing to give you wings.

So many of these shortages are for things that we don't necessarily think about all that much... until we don't have them, and we realize how much we need them.

Recently, Montana ranchers have been affected by a hay shortage throughout the state, and have had to resort to ordering their hay from out-of-state sources. But when they do that, it invites noxious weeds and other invasive species, which, thanks to the wildfires, can spread pretty easily.

So that's not great! It's crazy to think about how everything is connected in ways you may not realize - one small thing has a small effect on another thing, and then that thing has an effect on another thing, and then THAT thing has a big effect on something else. There may have been an Ashton Kutcher movie about that exact phenomenon, but through a series of events beyond my control, I was affected and didn't see it.

Hopefully, as more people get vaccinated and we begin to get through the pandemic (fingers crossed), there will be less of these shortages as time goes on. Until then, get ready to hear about a lot of industries, jobs, and lifestyles that are affected in ways most people could never have predicted.