custom haying

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GMN

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southwest, MO
How much do people charge to put up a bale of hay_that is cutting, raking and baling it? A 5 x 4 bale?Thanks
 
That ENTIRELY depends on your location and the going price locally due to the terrain, type of grasses, etc....

Here in East TX, we are charging 25 a round bale, either string or net. And have set a $2000 minimum per job.

Lots of little meadows with obstacles, poor access, rough ground, etc....so we are choosy where we will haul our equipment.
 
Amish do custom baling and chopping in our area. We get a 6' round at $17 apiece with a $35 an acre minimum. They don't pickup, haul or wrap. Chopping and bagging prices aren't so exact. One of them has a large square baler but we've not used him and I don't know his prices.
 
We pay $17 a bale, net wrap. We pick up the hay out of the field. No minimum acreage. We just had a small plot (4.8 acres) and a larger piece (13 acres) done, they are right next to each other. When we figured out we needed more, and have more grass than the cows can eat, we had them do half of an 8 acre piece yesterday (they cut it, will bale it when it dries). Out here people post on craigslist all the time about custom cutting, most average $17 to $18 a bale. A lot of people also do it on shares, usually 60/40 or 70/30 (meaning cutter takes the bigger number and land owner takes the smaller number).
 
last year we payed $25 for cutting raking an baling a 4 by 6 bale.thats the main reason we bought a lightly used 2006 JD 567 round baler with 2600 bales on it.put in the shop an got it field ready.will hire our cutting an raking done this year.had 3 people want us to bale their hay this year.but turned them down because didnt have a cutter or rake.but if we custom bale will charge $16 to bale an $30 or more todo it all.mind you im talking bout 5 by 6 bales now.
 
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Fire Sweep Ranch":gaev3hn6 said:
We pay $17 a bale, net wrap. We pick up the hay out of the field. No minimum acreage. We just had a small plot (4.8 acres) and a larger piece (13 acres) done, they are right next to each other. When we figured out we needed more, and have more grass than the cows can eat, we had them do half of an 8 acre piece yesterday (they cut it, will bale it when it dries). Out here people post on craigslist all the time about custom cutting, most average $17 to $18 a bale. A lot of people also do it on shares, usually 60/40 or 70/30 (meaning cutter takes the bigger number and land owner takes the smaller number).
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Little north of you we are paying $23 for a 5'x68" net wrapped and 1.90 for wire tied small squares as far as that split stuff they want too much for share at $50 dollar hay do the math why should they deserve 2 out of every 3 thats $100 hay for $69 service
 
LOL he sells his hay 4x5 bales which are good stuff for cows orchard and fescue clover for 15 a bale i think he just does it for fun
 
skyhightree1":1ggr4oos said:
LOL he sells his hay 4x5 bales which are good stuff for cows orchard and fescue clover for 15 a bale i think he just does it for fun
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man he is loosing $25 a bale out of the gate.we wont sell hay for less than $40 a roll.an then we are only making $10 a bale.but last year we went in the hole at $40 a bale because we was delivering the hay.an even putting some out because the guys tractor stays broke down.
 
J&D Cattle":1cec2w3r said:
$16-$18 here for 4X5 netwrap. The guy doing our squares is baling for $1.00/bale.
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It's more expensive here for square bales because its more work . If he's bailing 60 lb bales that's about 15 squares per round bale .
 
at 60lb sq bales we had 20 bales in the 4 by 6s last year.an we will 25 to 30 sq bales in the 5 by 6s this year.
 
University Extension office in MO last year 2012 said small bales up to 750 lbs to cut, rake and bale using twine-$20-medium size bales 750-1500 lbs-$22 for the same
Net wrap-small rounds-$22, medium-$25

I figure about $20-$25 is a fair price-one poster said $17 that seems to cheap, considering the time, diesel, wear on your equipment, if they had to go out and buy hay, they could not touch a round bale of any size for under $30 around here

GMN
 
University Extension office also said to grow it yourself, including fertilizer, you need to sell your bales for $60 (4x5) just to break even. When you figure the cost of all the nutrients you are removing for each bale, and figure in the replacement cost, that sounds about right (with fuel and equipment to bale it).
I am happy that the average price around us is $17 to custom bale it. I grow it myself so that I do not have to pay the $45 asking price around here, but am I saving any money by growing it myself? When I figure the money I have into fertilizer maybe not, but I know I am not getting someone else's weeds and problems by bringing in outside hay! And I grow it the way I like it, by putting in desirable plants and having it cut when it is best (unless the weather does not cooperate!). We will test our hay this year (as always, in 2011 we won the Ozark Empire Fair hay show in the fescue division with our home grown stuff!), and hope to get good results.
 
Fire Sweep Ranch":174xom9e said:
University Extension office also said to grow it yourself, including fertilizer, you need to sell your bales for $60 (4x5) just to break even. When you figure the cost of all the nutrients you are removing for each bale, and figure in the replacement cost, that sounds about right (with fuel and equipment to bale it).
I am happy that the average price around us is $17 to custom bale it. I grow it myself so that I do not have to pay the $45 asking price around here, but am I saving any money by growing it myself? When I figure the money I have into fertilizer maybe not, but I know I am not getting someone else's weeds and problems by bringing in outside hay! And I grow it the way I like it, by putting in desirable plants and having it cut when it is best (unless the weather does not cooperate!). We will test our hay this year (as always, in 2011 we won the Ozark Empire Fair hay show in the fescue division with our home grown stuff!), and hope to get good results.
Click to expand...
but you know the quality of the hay thats being baled an fed to your cows.buying hay is real tricky as to the quality your buying an feeding.our hay has been all organic for the last 33yrs.an we generally get 2 to 2.5 bales an ac when we cut it.so thats between 200 an 250 bales in 1 cutting depending on the weather.an we rarely take the 2nd cutting as we dont need it.
 

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