When to buy winter hay?

[bocephus]

With the drought I saw craigslist prices at $8-10 per bale. In SE Michigan we finally got enough rain that I just mowed my yard for the first time since May and my pastures are all green now. Prices are starting to creep down, I'm seeing a couple posts at $5. Think its time to buy?

Anyone know about hay at the auctions? I know nothing. There's a United Producers up the road from me. They post their auction results online and it's $1-8 per bale. Are you able to buy smaller quantities at these things? I can only haul about 20 bales at a time.

 

[Roving Jacobs]

I don't know about auctions but I would buy hay as soon as you can. At least in my area we're not looking at enough rain to get a really good second cutting so good hay is only going to get harder to find. I finally found someone selling at a reasonable price and reserved enough to last me through winter a couple of weeks ago. I can only pick up ~40 bales at a time but he's willing to hold it while I pick it up piecemeal. This guy is selling for $3.50 a bale for some really nice quality hay and just about sold out of 3000 bales in a week. Other people are easily selling weedy, stemmy garbage for twice that price. Someone I know just paid $10-15 a bale for her hay and was lucky she was able to get all she needed. There's no way I could pay those prices!

 

[BrownSheep]

I wouldn't wait any longer. The longer you wait the harder it is to find.

 

[Alice Acres]

Everyone around here (MN) has lined up winter hay. In fact d/t drought, most of us have been haying our stock here since June

Mine are normally on pasture until after the first hard freeze (November)...but no such luck this year.

 

[Baymule]

Buying hay in a drought year is like going to an antique store and finding an heirloom piece. The time to buy it is when you find it.

 

[RemudaOne]

I'm blessed in that my feed store is a very small family owned and operated business. They've come to know, over the years, what kind of quality alfalfa I like. I will buy in small lots (10 or so bales) until they get a really exceptional load in. When they do, they'll give me a call and I'll go take a look. If its what I like, I stuff my barn with it no matter what time of year.

I learned my lesson the hard way by having to pick through a barn full of bales that had pounds and pounds of dried mud, hunks of moldy areas and weeds. I don't have the money to waste like that so now I stick to my method and it's working out great. Plus, its a twice a day reminder of the mistake you made and the money you're wasting when you have to go out and see that barn full of crappy bales!! LOL .

The owner just delivered 130 bales that weigh an avg. of 113 pounds each yesterday.

 

[bluebirdsnfur]

We bought 32 bales of orchard grass hay last month from a local farmer. Paid $6.50 a bale delivered. We plan on getting 20 more by end of the month. A lot of farmers around here have already done a third cutting. I also heard a lot of the hay grown here is being bought and shipped down south.

 

[BrownSheep]

How many cuttings do they typically get in your area. Three is average here, while every once in a while they'll squeeze in a fourth.

 

[bluebirdsnfur]

Yes, they typically get three...but with such a good growing season this year, I do believe these farmers are going to be able to squeeze in a forth cutting.

 

[bonbean01]

I would say get your hay asap!!!! You will sleep better...LOL...not kidding...and we like the 2nd cut of hay here for our sheep. Looked bad early summer here, then the rains came and we got lucky with pasture and hay...whew...feel so badly for folks with that drought and the wild fires