Buy or Grow Cattle Feed

[Radi Cilo]

Just wondering.
I know I could crow my own grass - but other foods such as hay?

Opinions?

Thanks,
-Radi

 

[1848]

:shock: :roll:

 

[Bez]

Interesting poll. Have to give this some thought.

:lol:

Bez

 

[showme]

Dude grow it, it is so easy plow then pass the picks until it real fine then plant and pray for rain. its really not hard the hard work is picking up square bales. All you got to do it pay a bunch of High School boys $40 buck to get the job done. Depending on how many cows you have thats how much ahy you need we need at lease 4 or 5 hundred round bales to last us. And about 1300 square bales for 4 horses and 15 show calves them square bales last from Sept. to about May then we have to bale more.

 

[Bez]

Dude grow it, it is so easy plow then pass the picks until it real fine then plant and pray for rain. its really not hard the hard work is picking up square bales. All you got to do it pay a bunch of High School boys $40 buck to get the job done. Depending on how many cows you have thats how much ahy you need we need at lease 4 or 5 hundred round bales to last us. And about 1300 square bales for 4 horses and 15 show calves them square bales last from Sept. to about May then we have to bale more.

Dude? :roll: I guess I am getting old. Seems somewhat casual to me.

Do I ever wish "growing it" was truly this simple. But then again what do I know?

I am just a dumb farmer.

Bez

 

[Radi Cilo]

Haha, thanks.

Though I don't know what the first reply was trying to say

-Radi

 

[msscamp]

:shock: :roll:

Don't be rolling your eyes! Farming is not that easy without a substantial background in it. Cut too early, hay is crap; Cut too late, hay is crap; Bale too early; hay is crap, bale too late; hay is crap. There are a lot of finely integrated things that go into swathing, baling, knowing how to stack, knowing where to stack, knowing how to tarp, etc. that all work into having a successful hay crop. For a newcomer it's not all cut and dried (forgive the pun)!

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

Not to mention the HUGE investment in baleing equipment! :shock:

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

1848, ya think somebody missed your real reason for those rolling eyes? :lol:

Stephen, how'd you make out on those 500 pounders? A little shy of $2.00 per pound?

Bez, I bet you never realized you had it so easy being a farmer. Hell, all ya gotta do is plow, pass the picks, plant and pray. :lol:

 

[certherfbeef]

Dude? :roll: I guess I am getting old. Seems somewhat casual to me.

Do I ever wish "growing it" was truly this simple. But then again what do I know?

I am just a dumb farmer.

Bez

Bez, you ever think maybe it aint hay the boy is growing?

 

[flaboy]

Haha, thanks.

Though I don't know what the first post was trying to say

-Radi

But, but, but, didn't you make the first post?

What kind of grass you plan to grow. :lol:

 

[1848]

1848, ya think somebody missed your real reason for those rolling eyes? :lol:

Yup

 

[Susie David]

Kinda of sounded like the waitress that said Hi and I responded...not since the late 60's but I appreciate the offer.
DMc

 

[Susie David]

Please do not pay attention to the o'l buzzard...he's been on the edge all day. We don't bail hay now but buy from a good
producer and get great hay. Susie

 

[C HOLLAND]

I have a 10 acre hay field (and 50 acres of grazing pasture)and it will cost me $14.00 per roll to get it cut and about $5.00 per roll for fertilizer. I can buy it for 25 a roll delivered so I am going to just use the field for grazing and buy my hay. I only plan to keep a maximum of 30 head at any time during the year, it definatley depends on the size of your herd and what equipment you own. Do the math and figure out how many years to pay for equipment and see if you can get a return on your investment. It also helps to know someone in the business of cutting and rolling hay. There is alot to it, and I sure don't know all there is to know about it.

But I am just a ROOKIE anyway.

 

[Anonymous]

Unless it is a hobby and you really do not care about the money - buying feed is a losers game. Period.

Grow it and feed it.

Bez

 

[Rainbow Valley Cattle Co]

:shock: :roll:

Don't be rolling your eyes! Farming is not that easy without a substantial background in it.

Cut too early, hay is crap; Cut too late, hay is crap; Bale too early; hay is crap, bale too late; hay is crap. There are a lot of finely integrated things that go into swathing, baling, knowing how to stack, knowing where to stack, knowing how to tarp, etc. that all work into having a successful hay crop. For a newcomer it's not all cut and dried (forgive the pun)!

Very well said.

And I might add that there are lots of new things to learn, even by old timers like me, about crops and hay.

I was shocked to see a friend of mine buy ALL his hay last year for his herd. When he "did the numbers" on paper, he proved to me that it only cost him about $900 more to buy it all than to make it and maintain all the equipment & labor needed to do it. He was right. He sold all his haying equipment and is really saving a substantial amount of $$$$ this year because he no longer has to fuel all his 5 tractors OR drive the hour south to get tractor parts several times per week during haying season~!!
He paid someone to come in and hay ALL his fields.
All new FAST balers. Cut and rolled and stacked in the barn perfectly and on time~!! Something my friend always lags behind in because he has so many other things that happen when he should be cutting his hay fields.

The question of weather to grow or buy I guess depends on your economic situation.
Here we grow our own, sell the surplus and spend alot of $$ maintaining and repairing our aging equipment.

Which ever you do, good luck to you.