How bad is the hay shortage in the southeastern United States? CBS News thinks it is bad enough to warrant almost four minutes of coverage on tonight’s CBS Evening News.

The first video in this post is the main story that appeared on the air; it runs through a variety of people with a stake in the hay situation, from a hay dealer to a self-sacrificing owner to the director of a horse adoption farm. And it sounds pretty grim.

People from the more urban areas of the United States would marvel at the sheer square footage of grassy turnout that most horses in Kentucky enjoy.

CBS also produced an “Eye to Eye” segment with horse owner Beverly Danko about the personal sacrifices she has made–cancelling cable tv, internet, and cell phone service to free up more money for horse hay–and how far she is willing to go to feed her horses.

CBS has an interactive page for reader comments where you can post your response to the hay shortage story.