HUTCHINSON — With recent rains, the condition of Kansas pasture land is improving.

The rainfall is leaving land green, and hay fields are looking better than in recent years. Steve Hessman with the USDA office in Dodge City said the ample rain helped hay and pasture land, including the Flint Hills area, which suffered greatly from the drought. He also noted prices are starting to come down for most hay after spiking earlier in the spring. Hay prices went from $150 at the start of the season to $200 per ton, before dropping again this summer.

Hessman said farmers and ranchers are having an easier time finding hay for their operations than in the past three years, although supplies of high-quality dairy hay is still short due to the rainy weather, which is keeping alfalfa in the fields too long.