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Despite being high and dry, Colorado farmers and ranchers are sitting pretty when it comes to hay.

The state grew enough last year to sow every square inch of the city of Denver more than 16 times over, according to the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based National Hay Association, which has set up shop in the National Western Stock Show’s Expo Hall. For math whizzes at home, Denver covers 99,200 acres; Colorado grew nearly 1.6 million acres of hay in 2007, according to the association. Alfalfa accounts for about half the hay acreage here, with an average annual value of $233 million. Alfalfa yields about 4 tons per acre, helping make this dry climate the 10th leading hay producer in the country, according to the Colorado State Extension Service. “Colorado is a great location for hay production,” said Don Kieffer, executive director of the National Hay Association.

Joey Bunch, The Denver Post