TOSTON — The US equine industry grew 45 percent from 2017 to 2023, contributing $177 billion to the US economy in 2023 alone. That growth created a need for quality feed. The Toston startup Hay Montana is working to meet that need with Montana-grown alfalfa.
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Jason Noyes’ and Travis Brazill’s business, Hay Montana, is exactly as it sounds.
“We produce some of the finest alfalfa hay in the US,” said Noyes.
The high-quality second-cutting alfalfa hay brought them together.
“I called Jason, ‘Hey, I want to get some hay from you.’ Sat down on the back end of the flatbed trailer, and I started to explain to him what I saw going on in that market,” said Brazill.
The market? Premium hay for the performance horse industry, primarily in the southern United States.
“There's always been a chunk of this alfalfa that really was well suited for the equine industry, but not in the large bale package,” said Noyes.
Those who’ve worked on a ranch know hay isn’t exactly light. A large bale can weigh around 1,300 pounds. Hay Montana breaks down the bigger bales into 60-pound bales to better serve their clients.
“They need to be able to put five, six, ten bales in a horse trailer and go to a rodeo or a horse show for a few weeks at a time,” explained Noyes.
Noyes and Brazill say horse owners love the quality.
“It's completely different than what they're used to from a quality point of view of feeding their, their equine athletes,” said Brazill.
And for the two Toston farmers, the name Hay Montana means more than marketing.
“[My family] is seven generations Montana, and I know the Noyes family, multi-multi generation Montanans,” explained Brazill. “So when we say ‘Hay Montana,’ that's not a marketing tool for us. That's a pride that we’re bringing to the nation.”
