Record high prices for alfalfa hay and the prospect of continuing tight supplies of it may be setting the stage for economic difficulties for California dairy producers. "California's dairy industry has experienced tremendous growth in recent years while alfalfa production has remained essentially flat," says Dan Putnam, a UC Cooperative Extension agronomist in the UC Davis agronomy and range science department. "Proposed major water transfers in the San Joaquin and Imperial valleys are also threatening to decrease alfalfa acreage, while dairy production will likely increase." The continuing imbalance of supply and demand means alfalfa hay prices will likely continue to remain high, Putnam predicts. "That may be good news if you're growing hay, but it's an expensive headache for dairy producers," he says. This will be one of many production and marketing issues discussed at the 27th annual California Alfalfa Symposium, to be held Dec. 10-11 in Visalia, Calif.