Hay Replaces Citrus As North Lake Cash Crop

    “Ag is alive and well in Lake.”
   University of Florida IFAS Extension Director Megan Brew this week noted that Lake County is still a farming community, “even if it does look a little different than it did 20-30 years ago.”
   Longtime residents have no doubt taken note of the large amount of former citrus acreage that is now being farmed for hay. As citrus continues to decline due to citrus greening-a condition that slowly kills trees, along with high production costs and low prices for fruit actually brought to market, farmers have found a new way to use agricultural land.
   In North Lake County, hay production has exploded in recent years.
   Brew shared data that showed in 2017 - the latest year data has been made available, 12,698 acres in Lake County were dedicated to hay production. Since then, the number, while not exactly known, has only grown.
   “The next census isn’t due out until 2022,” Brew said.
   Already in 2017, hay had passed citrus acreage, which at that time was listed at 7,445, and has declined further since that time.