Bought all my hay this year

[Bright Raven]

I just reached in the center and pulled this out. I like to see those fine blades.

 

[A.J.]

Sounds like a heck of a deal, especially with the delivery included. I would find out if the individual sells it for close to that price every year, and if it's good hay, get a deal going forward for next year. Have you thought about building a hay barn? It's been a great investment for us, and really nice when you have hay leftover from the previous year.

Yes. I told Elwood that I would like to continue buying his hay on a annual basis. His farm is about 8 miles from mine so the hauling is quick.

I have thought of putting up one of those hoop hay shelters.

Sounds like you've got a good arrangement with him. I think you'd be pleased with the return on your investment if you added a shelter for it.

 

[Bright Raven]

I would like to think he has an ulterior motive, such as cleaning up his hayfields in preparation for baling high quality horse hay. So that makes sense. Maybe he's just trying to break even on the first cutting in exchange for getting his fields clean. Either way I think you done well. There's not much hay of any kind that I would turn down for $30 delivered. That's a steal. I've said it on here before.... I grow my own, with $30/acre/year rent and a $20/bale baling fee, 67"x4' rolls, with a 4 bale/acre yield and my avg cost is $50-$55/roll in the field. Still have to haul it. But only about 5 miles. You done good. Makes me envious. Winter feeding is my single biggest expense, as I would imagine is the case with everyone else as well. I should feed around 400 rolls this year. So that could potentially be a savings to be of $10k. That's $100/cow that could go in my pocket. If I had a reliable, trustworthy source I'd buy it instead of growing it without hesitation.

Elwood and gang, cut this off his next door neighbor. I know Elwood very well. His daughter is on the CAIP approval board. He and I drove his pickup through the field about 18 days ago. He cut it last Thursday and rolled it over the weekend. It didn't get wet. It was well handled. The yield was low despite the fact that he fertilized. As TT said, everyone here is 30 to 40 percent off their average. To produce hay here, you have to fertilize or you are running over a lot of land, burning a lot of fuel for little return.

This is not his quality hayland. He mostly square bales his good haylands that he sells for horse farm hay. I already have my order in for next spring. It is best to buy early. About March of this year with the protracted winter, this hay would have sold for $45 to $50 a roll.

BTW: his farm - and his adjoining timber lands produce some of the biggest whitetail deer in the state. Elwood has missed Boone and Crockett by narrow margins a couple times. He must have 15 mounted deer heads.

 

[JMJ Farms]

BTW: his farm - and his adjoining timber lands produce some of the biggest whitetail deer in the state. Elwood has missed Boone and Crockett by narrow margins a couple times. He must have 15 mounted deer heads.

Does he do any paid hunts?

 

[Bright Raven]

BTW: his farm - and his adjoining timber lands produce some of the biggest whitetail deer in the state. Elwood has missed Boone and Crockett by narrow margins a couple times. He must have 15 mounted deer heads.

Does he do any paid hunts?

Yes. He has in the past. He has some very well placed blinds. Not a hunt in the sense of stalking.

 

[JMJ Farms]

BTW: his farm - and his adjoining timber lands produce some of the biggest whitetail deer in the state. Elwood has missed Boone and Crockett by narrow margins a couple times. He must have 15 mounted deer heads.

Does he do any paid hunts?

Yes. He has in the past. He has some very well placed blinds. Not a hunt in the sense of stalking.

Works for me. I prefer sitting and watching anyway. If I ever get a chance to get up that way I'd like to look him up.

 

[Bright Raven]

Does he do any paid hunts?

Yes. He has in the past. He has some very well placed blinds. Not a hunt in the sense of stalking.

Works for me. I prefer sitting and watching anyway. If I ever get a chance to get up that way I'd like to look him up.

I have hunted black bear from a tree stand over bait. I also shot an Eland in African from a blind at a water hole. I shot another Eland in the Lowveld of Zimbabwe by stalking. The stalking was 10 times more exciting. I prefer to hunt big game.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Yes. He has in the past. He has some very well placed blinds. Not a hunt in the sense of stalking.

Works for me. I prefer sitting and watching anyway. If I ever get a chance to get up that way I'd like to look him up.

I have hunted black bear from a tree stand over bait. I also shot an Eland in African from a blind at a water hole. I shot another Eland in the Lowveld of Zimbabwe by stalking. The stalking was 10 times more exciting. I prefer to hunt big game.

Wrong answer.

The proper response is "I'll be happy to introduce you to him if you're ever up this way".

 

[Bright Raven]

Does he do any paid hunts?

Yes. He has in the past. He has some very well placed blinds. Not a hunt in the sense of stalking.

Works for me. I prefer sitting and watching anyway. If I ever get a chance to get up that way I'd like to look him up.

I think TT wants me to respond (answer as he calls it):

I'll be happy to introduce you to him if you're ever up this way.

BTW: he told me his son who lives in Lexington does most of the hunting now. Elwood is about 74 and said he does not hunt himself. He is a very busy guy. I can ask him if they bring in any paying hunters anymore. His son has children of hunting age so things have changed.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Yes. He has in the past. He has some very well placed blinds. Not a hunt in the sense of stalking.

Works for me. I prefer sitting and watching anyway. If I ever get a chance to get up that way I'd like to look him up.

I think TT wants me to respond (answer as he calls it):

I'll be happy to introduce you to him if you're ever up this way.

BTW: he told me his son who lives in Lexington does most of the hunting now. Elwood is about 74 and said he does not hunt himself. He is a very busy guy. I can ask him if they bring in any paying hunters anymore. His son has children of hunting age so things have changed.

I'm proud of you Prince. TT is rubbing off on you. I'd never come next door without visiting you Ron. Even I'm not that rude. (Provided I am welcome. Not rude enough to intrude either)

 

[Bright Raven]

Works for me. I prefer sitting and watching anyway. If I ever get a chance to get up that way I'd like to look him up.

I think TT wants me to respond (answer as he calls it):

I'll be happy to introduce you to him if you're ever up this way.

BTW: he told me his son who lives in Lexington does most of the hunting now. Elwood is about 74 and said he does not hunt himself. He is a very busy guy. I can ask him if they bring in any paying hunters anymore. His son has children of hunting age so things have changed.

I'm proud of you Prince. TT is rubbing off on you. I'd never come next door without visiting you Ron. Even I'm not that rude. (Provided I am welcome. Not rude enough to intrude either)

If you come this way, I will be offended if you don't visit. You are very welcome. In fact, if Elwood is not taking paid hunters, you can hunt here. I know there are a couple old bucks that come up that creek on the back 30.

 

[Brute 23]

In case I have not mentioned this enough already I despise hay. If I could find a reliable source I would buy it every year to lock in that cost.

I fertilized this year early and just cut barely 2 bales to the acre off it. Hopefully there is some left in the ground to jump start it again after this rain.

Im currently looking in to trying alfalfa to supplement thru the winter. It has a lot of pros going for it Im just up in the air on how labor intensive it will be until I actually try it. Ground feed is an option but and really cuts back on the labor but the cost on a good year is about break even with hay. In a bad year you could easy run up a heck of a bill.

 

[TexasBred]

I'd take that deal all day long, and sit back not having to hay. Plus you're buying in their fertility.

:nod: :nod:

Don't misinterpret this post. I think Ron got a good deal EVEN IF the hay is a little below average, not saying that it is. I just don't understand how a "grower" can sell hay for that price. Land rent or taxes, equipment, labor, fertilizer, fuel, transportation.....$30? I think Ron did well in the deal. My conclusion is that either some people can't figure or they don't fertilize. Other areas may be different from where I live, I honestly don't know, but here, if you don't fertilize, you have 4-8% hay depending on weather and time
of year.

Even 8% hay doesn't need a tremendous amount of supplementation.

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

Does he deliver to Michigan??

 

[Bright Raven]

Does he deliver to Michigan??

I think Elwood stays pretty close to Piqua, Kentucky.

 

[JMJ Farms]

:nod: :nod:

Don't misinterpret this post. I think Ron got a good deal EVEN IF the hay is a little below average, not saying that it is. I just don't understand how a "grower" can sell hay for that price. Land rent or taxes, equipment, labor, fertilizer, fuel, transportation.....$30? I think Ron did well in the deal. My conclusion is that either some people can't figure or they don't fertilize. Other areas may be different from where I live, I honestly don't know, but here, if you don't fertilize, you have 4-8% hay depending on weather and time
of year.

Even 8% hay doesn't need a tremendous amount of supplementation.

I agree TB. But the problem is the only reasonably priced supplementation we have here is WCS if you can get it. Even it's gettong to where the contract most of it. I love WCS when I can get it. It's great feed. Very labor intensive but good feed. Everything else is in a bag and costs too much. I'm not aware of any other byproducts anywhere close. I do plant winter grazing but it's commonplace for us to have dry falls so its often February-March before I can graze. Have good grass by late April most years. If I had 8% hay and 1200 heavy bred cows, would 5lbs/head of 20% range cubes be about right? If so that would cost me another $1.20/hd/day. Adds up fast.

Edited to add: this topic interests me very much. I would love to quit feeding hay and just graze cereal grains in winter. Problem is usually moisture related. Thought about a pivot and well but it simply doesn't pencil out with what I have to work with. I'm interested in only feeding hay as a last resort. Or at least minimizing it as much as possible.

 

[MtnCows93]

once you find a guy like that you need to tell him youll buy everything hes got and pay cash let him deliver whenever he feels like it, if he knows hes got a longterm customer youll be able to get good hay cheap from now on

 

[kenny thomas]

:nod: :nod:

Don't misinterpret this post. I think Ron got a good deal EVEN IF the hay is a little below average, not saying that it is. I just don't understand how a "grower" can sell hay for that price. Land rent or taxes, equipment, labor, fertilizer, fuel, transportation.....$30? I think Ron did well in the deal. My conclusion is that either some people can't figure or they don't fertilize. Other areas may be different from where I live, I honestly don't know, but here, if you don't fertilize, you have 4-8% hay depending on weather and time
of year.

Elwood Myers is well known. He is also our other county Contract Fencer. He not only fertilizes but he sprays for weeds. Hay this time of the year just does not sell high here. This is certainly not premium hay and I do believe they are light. I also agree - he cannot be making a profit. But , big but, that seems to be typical here. Not many people are good at managing a business.

He sells a lot of very high quality square baled hay to the racehorse farms. My bet is that is where he does ok.

If he pays that much attention to details and he also sells horse hay I'm gonna bet it will test 11-12%. Timothy just headed out here last week but even though the fescue and orchard grass is a little overdue I think it will test well,
You spend so much money on the cows down to a gravel path to feed on. Get the molded money out and build a building to keep the hay in. In our area and weather the studies show in10 years the hay building will pay for it's self in saved hay. Plus no mess if your cutting net or twine

 

[5S Cattle]

I can't even get hay BALED for $30.

 

[Bright Raven]

I checked craigslist for Lexington. Folks are starting to list hay. If we continue to get rain, good cow hay can be bought for $25 a 4x5 roll. There is no economic advantage in putting up your own hay. The ad at the bottom is from a farm 5 miles from here. I know the gentleman. His hay is excellent. Those are 5×5 net wrapped rolls. Net wrap is not common here. That hay is better than needed for cows and will likely go to the horse farms near Lexington.

https://lexington.craigslist.org/grd/d/ ... 75083.html

https://lexington.craigslist.org/grd/d/ ... 06579.html

https://lexington.craigslist.org/grd/d/ ... 53535.html