The Senate today passed and sent to the House a bill its sponsor says will help bring hay to ranchers and dairy farms hard-hit by the drought in New Mexico.

Senate Bill 56 passed unanimously and, if it becomes law, will allow hay haulers to take bigger loads longer distances on the interstates.

Current law limits hay loads to 12 feet in width and the haul to 200 miles.

The legislation sponsored by Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, would remove the distance limit, allow wider loads with a permit and warning signs and let the oversize loads on interstate highways.

“The point here is to make it easier to haul hay,” Ingle said in a statement after the bill’s passage.  “The extreme drought in recent years has meant we need to haul in hay from other states and Canada to feed our livestock.

“Allowing the oversize hay loads, that will not forgo highway safety, will help the agriculture industry. Without the changes, the industry will suffer.”

High fuel costs make it necessary to maximize the loads and make it easier to bring in loads from outside the state.

On Friday KRQE News 13′s Gabrielle Burkhart reported from Roswell on how the drought and high demand have driven up hay prices and forced ranchers to go farther to find supplies.

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