More than three months after floods ravaged parts of Western Washington, farmers struggle to feed their animals. Hay supply is down, the prices are up, and farmers can’t pay for the feed with the mounting cost to rebuild.

"Hay was in short supply as it was without the flooding," said Robert McFadden who founded the nonprofit group Supporting Hay and Relief Efforts (SHARE). "This was a double whammy."

McFadden says flood waters destroyed a limited hay supply, and washed out fields used to harvest the feed. Without those fields to produce hay, he expects prices to skyrocket in the next few months. The price per ton has already increased $100 in three months, he said.

The price increase has added $1,000 to Susan Kirk’s monthly bill. The horse trainer from Grays Harbor County lost one of her dozen horses after it drank contaminated water. The remaining 11 used to graze but can no longer do so because Kirk’s pastures were destroyed.

"With the cost of hay at $15 a bale, if you’re feeding 11 to 12 head of horses I can tell you that’s a big bill every month,” she said.

Kirk and McFadden teamed up in Olympia on Sunday to raise money for farmers struggling to buy feed.

Kirk hosted a horse clinic for riders at Trails End while McFadden helped auction everything from animal feed to a colt. Combined, McFadden said the fundraising efforts netted $6,000. The total was significantly lower than the $11,000 SHARE raised in the weeks following the December floods.

"This may be the hardest time right now. To get donations in the support and the relief efforts all coordinated to work,” he said.

To donate hay or cash to SHARE, contact McFadden at (360) 556-6050. He can also be reached by e-mail at Robert@RobertMcFadden.com.