Break even point for hay

[jonbquick.com]

Damon Farm & Ranch will sprig for $70 per acre including the sprigs.

All the horse people around here like the Tifton because of the greater digestible energy.

The stems don't seem to be a problem up to 28 days.

Johnbquick - a couple of questions if you don't mind.

The cheapest I've been able to find T85 is $3/bu and its recommended at 40bu/ac. Thats $3600 for 30ac just for the grass. Sprigging costs are another $120/ac or so. Anyway total cost I come up with is 3600 for grass+3600 for spriging=$7200. Can you tell tell me where you got the sprigs so cheap and who did your sprigging.

There's resistance in my area to T85 as horse hay since it often has such large stems which the horse folks don't like. I think this is due to late harvesting though to increase production. I've heard that it needs to be cut every 3-4 weeks in order to keep the stem size down. How do you decide when to cut for sale into the horse hay market.

 

[MPBeef]

Herefordcross, I was asked this question the other day by a hay customer as well. I did some figurin' and here in Idaho I have to put up 1,500 ton/yr. to breakeven. If I understand you right, he would have to get all the equipment, so 22 acres just wouldn't make sense to me either.