Southeast Colorado alfalfa price forecasts, graded in public.

Research

Background the monthly reports stand on.

SE Colorado Hay Price Primer
What a ton of premium alfalfa costs, bale-weight math, and how quality grades map to price.
Irrigation Water in the Lower Arkansas Valley
How the Fort Lyon Canal, Fry-Ark Project, and John Martin Reservoir actually deliver (or don't deliver) water.
Snowpack & Runoff, Water Year 2026
Why 2026 is the worst water year on record for the lower Ark, and what 2002 teaches about hay prices in a drought.
Water Rights Primer
Prior appropriation, mutual ditch companies, and the compact call — the plumbing behind every price in these reports.
Pre-Registered Predictions — Aug 12 USDA Print
Written down BEFORE the Aug 12, 2026 USDA Crop Production report, so the grading can't be fudged.
Independent Forecast Audit — August 2026
An outside audit of this project: the facts check out, the precision doesn't. Where we overclaim, the auditor's own confidence table, and the fixes we're adopting.