Hay prices

[OneFineAcre]

How big are those squares?

Never weighed them. 60-65 lbs maybe.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I bought a square bale of compressed Alfalfa for $18. We'll be calling to get prices very soon as we want to be prepared for winter. So far the cows have just been grazing out in the pasture. I'll post with pricing once I find out.

@OneFineAcre could you please let me know where/who in NY you bought the bales of Timothy/Orchard from in NY? I'm in upstate NY, would like to check out that place as well. Thanks!

I buy it from a local hay and feed store. He buys it by the tractor trailer load. If he is selling for $10 he must be getting for maybe $7 transported from NY to NC.
I will ask him where he gets it from.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Commonly atm in northern Michigan
2016 1st cut grass hay small square $1/bale
2016 2nd cut grass small square $3/bale
2016 alfalfa small square $4-5/bale.

2017 1st cut grass hay small square $3-4/bale
2017 5x4 rounds grass $20-30
2017 5x4 rounds alfalfa timothy $30-40/bale

The 2017 prices are already up and not much hay around up here atm.

 

[greybeard]

I have a feeling prices must really vary around the country!

Yep, and depends on the availability in any given year.
I saw 900 lb round baled junk hay sell for over $110 each in 2011 and they had folks lining up to get it. Round baled rice straw trucked in from La. was selling for close to that and they had no problem selling that either.
long term drought will do that..so will a very wet spring and summer.

Horse people and goat people were lined up at the local feed stores and TSC and paying $15-$17 for 35-40lb square bales shipped in from somewhere in 18 wheeler box trailers and it was the dustiest, weediest hay I ever saw.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Yep, and depends on the availability in any given year.
I saw 900 lb round baled junk hay sell for over $110 each in 2011 and they had folks lining up to get it. Round baled rice straw trucked in from La. was selling for close to that and they had no problem selling that either.
long term drought will do that..so will a very wet spring and summer.

Thats the problem here, the wet. I keep telling everyone locally to go buy 2016 hay and stock up for winer right now. They all kinda nod and go ok but dont do it cause prices are still "lowish" atm. As soon as hay goes up locally to $5-9 for small squares they are going to come crying to me to sell them some cheaper hay pretty please and DH already said we are not.

We had a drought up here in 2011 and 2012, people were mowing and baling the ditch grass and selling it for $9/bale and people were buying it like hotcakes. DH sold 2,500 small bales for $12/bale and round bales of garbage full of weeds and junk were selling for $60 each.

 

[greybeard]

Thats the problem here, the wet. I keep telling everyone locally to go buy 2016 hay and stock up for winer right now. They all kinda nod and go ok but dont do it cause prices are still "lowish" atm. As soon as hay goes up locally to $5-9 for small squares they are going to come crying to me to sell them some cheaper hay pretty please and DH already said we are not.

We had a drought up here in 2011 and 2012, people were mowing and baling the ditch grass and selling it for $9/bale and people were buying it like hotcakes. DH sold 2,500 small bales for $12/bale and round bales of garbage full of weeds and junk were selling for $60 each.

I believe that for sure MM.

(wet ground and grass is a problem right now here as well)

 

[Alaskan]

That is usually the problem up here too....too much wet

 

[OneFineAcre]

We've had a pretty decent year for hay. We had good rain in the spring but then enough dry weather to bale the first cut.
Since the first cut we've had adequate rain so the 2nd cut should be good too.

 

[misfitmorgan]

You might be fine in NC OFA, but if they decide to truck out hay to other places with higher prices or truck in hay from higher priced places the prices there could go up. Over all there is likely to be a shortage this year because of the screwy weather. We have been watching fields as big as 40 acres get rain on and wash out the hay that was cut.

 

[Eliya Sage]

I get some orchard grass down at Farmers feed & seed for $8. It's Timothy grass and Orchard grass mixed, but our seller always calls it "orchard grass" So that's what we call it. Highly recommend it, but, I'm not sure if it's the seller or the seller's supplier, but it seems to get some straw in it... I hate when i find straw in it and i wish it wasn't in there, seems like a waste since the goats don't eat it, but i guess since 2 grasses can grow right next to each other, unnoticed, i guess it's inevitable.