Ridgefarmer63
Well-known member
LOL! Magic Mike, that's what they call me... I meant that's what it would cost me to buy the hay to feed the herd.
Do you make or buy your hay?
- Thread starter clarkmorefarm
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farmerjan
Well-known member
@Ridgefarmer63 .....Okay, that is what it costs you to buy the hay... that hay cost is offset through sales of cattle and such correct? Therefore it is not total out of pocket expense with no income from the cows ? If they are strictly pets like a dog or even a horse that is a backyard pet, that's one thing...but you "might have" made alot in the stock market... it did crash a couple times in that time frame... lost half my retirement one of them... took 7 years to gain it back to where it was... inflation not withstanding... you also CAN'T EAT those "stock certificates" and if you need to turn it over quickly, the cow goes to the stockyard and a couple hours later you can get a check.... many brokerage accounts have a couple "days" hold and such stuff...
There are always pros and cons to owning cattle and what it costs to own them and what the return is... but you can eat them....... and they will usually reproduce so give you back something for the hay that goes into them..........
There are always pros and cons to owning cattle and what it costs to own them and what the return is... but you can eat them....... and they will usually reproduce so give you back something for the hay that goes into them..........
Ridgefarmer63
Well-known member
I agree 100%. I deal in cattle and real estate. I am not a big fan of the stock market. As you say, cattle will always have a value and so will land. I make all my own hay but I had to spend the money initially to buy the equipment to make it. My point was if I had to buy hay for 25 years to feed my herd, it would have cost me 300k. I think a total outlay of all my equipment, some of it new, some of it 45 years old was worth it and a helluva lot less than 300K and I still have it to boot ! Different strokes for different folks I guess. Some of us aren't cut out to play the stock market and some of us aren't cut out to make hay.
farmerjan
Well-known member
Our investment in hay making equipment is along the lines of yours. A few new things over the years.. most is OLD and reliable... and cost alot less than what the hay could have all cost...
One of the things around here is getting it made when it suits... everyone is making their own hay when ours needs to be made too... so pretty much got to have the equipment to do so.
And, several places we rent , there is both pasture and hay ground.... one right by me has pasture on one side of a busy road... 10 acre crop field across the road... no fences, no water etc.. deal is we rent it all and do what needs doing... pasturing cattle AND making hay... we have this place, with the 10 ac crop field, in part of the rotation for OG hay, sorghum-sudan, winter cover crop... and has been in corn once... another place has a 9 acre hay field not adjacent to any pasture and with no fences also... no water there either... we rotational graze the 3 big pastures and make hay off about 1/3 of one that is below the worst of the rocks and such... makes nice late pasture for the cows to come back to and then we can load them out of that section.
Like you, been many years ago that we invested in most of the equipment... and the older tractors and such are easy to work on, and just very reliable... Prefer it that way...
Just finished about 15-20 acres in 3 pieces of mostly just mixed grass and hay... used the Ford 4600 and a 7 on a side long wheel rake... tractor is great on fuel, stable on hills due to lower center of gravity... easy to start, can roll it if necessary, no electronic crap....and all I need on some of these hillsides... Easy to hook and unhook any hydraulics... easy to hook and unhook other equipment... use it for tedding and raking mostly... I wouldn't take 25,000 for it.... Only 55-60 HP, diesel, 2wd... no loader no canopy.... Got it's "sister.".. ford 6600 with loader/spear and use "pallet fork" type lifter on back for moving hay rolls... bought both used from friends estate... not kept inside so paint is mostly gone... but they chug right along...
Dave
Well-known member
I have no idea how much hay there is for sale in your part of the world but freight has got to be a killer. Here everyone makes hay but some don't have enough hay to make so they buy some. But as I said the dirt farmers make a lot of hay around here.
Ridgefarmer63
Well-known member
Yup, were in the same ball park. The older iron is awesome. My oldest is a 1980 40 series (open station, straddle, super stable), newest is a 2002 5320 cab and a 1995 6200 cab. All green. My favorite is the 1980 open station, ha ha . Just need one more. Nice to have a tractor for every implement.
The stock market is the easiest money you will ever make if you KISS and don't listen to the news or people who try to make it sound special or complex.
I've told this story before but I made a large chunk of change, sitting on a bench, on the loading dock at the feed store, on my phone, in my grey Walmart t-shirt, with my $1000 F150 backed up to the dock. 10 min before a guy had handed me his ticket to load him out because he thought I worked there.
There is nothing like it the world and it should be the first place your money goes as a young person. Buy cows and hay equipment and all that after the other avenues are maxed out as part of your diversification.
I've told this story before but I made a large chunk of change, sitting on a bench, on the loading dock at the feed store, on my phone, in my grey Walmart t-shirt, with my $1000 F150 backed up to the dock. 10 min before a guy had handed me his ticket to load him out because he thought I worked there.
There is nothing like it the world and it should be the first place your money goes as a young person. Buy cows and hay equipment and all that after the other avenues are maxed out as part of your diversification.
Travlr
Well-known member
I still say doing hay on shares, being the land owner not the equipment owner, is the best way to keep your money in your pocket.
Twisted
Well-known member
I know that I am a rare bird but, I love baling hay, always have. The good, relaxing, prosperous days have always outnumbered the chaotic stressful ones and being able to do every aspect of the task alone is very satisfying.
I've been a self supplier, a baler/broker, and a custom baler, none of which have I done in at least 10 years. Not because I don't love it. The last several years, I have bought in hay from a neighboring farm that was purchased by a couple of military vets for a hunting property. They have the hay fields tended and baled by a custom baler. I pay a little more than I can get it for further down the highway but, I can save 15-20% by loading and hauling it about a mile myself. Owning the equipment makes absolutely no business sense, but I still miss baling it myself.
This fall I planted cereal rye and it is doing well so hopefully won't have to feed near as much hay. I got a bale out and I rolled part of it into a trailer for a hayride over the weekend. Instead of putting the remainder of the bale back under cover, I put it in a feeder in the pasture. So far they haven't touched it so they are getting plenty grazing. If we don't get a rain soon though, that's going to change.
I've been a self supplier, a baler/broker, and a custom baler, none of which have I done in at least 10 years. Not because I don't love it. The last several years, I have bought in hay from a neighboring farm that was purchased by a couple of military vets for a hunting property. They have the hay fields tended and baled by a custom baler. I pay a little more than I can get it for further down the highway but, I can save 15-20% by loading and hauling it about a mile myself. Owning the equipment makes absolutely no business sense, but I still miss baling it myself.
This fall I planted cereal rye and it is doing well so hopefully won't have to feed near as much hay. I got a bale out and I rolled part of it into a trailer for a hayride over the weekend. Instead of putting the remainder of the bale back under cover, I put it in a feeder in the pasture. So far they haven't touched it so they are getting plenty grazing. If we don't get a rain soon though, that's going to change.
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chaded
Well-known member
I've been doing this ever since I have started. It has its pros and cons. After doing this for a little while my preference would be to stock roughly the same but add my hayfield to grazing and minimize hay feeding down to next to nothing. I would purchase what little is needed.
But shares are like anything else in that it is situational. What's the field like, what kind of deal are you getting, how well does the guy make hay, etc. etc…
chevytaHOE5674
Well-known member
Shares are great if you have more hay acres than you need. Common here is 2/3 to the hay maker and 1/3 to the landowner.
Say a guy needs 90 bales for the winter and gets 3 bales to the acre. That's 30 acres if he takes all the hay. On a split now you need 90 acres to get 90 bales.
With what that extra 60 acres cost the landowner is a split really worth it?
Say a guy needs 90 bales for the winter and gets 3 bales to the acre. That's 30 acres if he takes all the hay. On a split now you need 90 acres to get 90 bales.
With what that extra 60 acres cost the landowner is a split really worth it?
Travlr
Well-known member
That's all true. I've been lucky to get all the hay I need in two shared cuttings and putting the hay ground into the grazing rotation just like any other pasture.
WFfarm
Well-known member
Its expensive to buy hay around us. Most people that is doing hay for sale are making small square bales for hobby and horse people. They ship a lot of timothy/orchard grass hay to Carolinas and Florida. They're making $300-325/ton.
we do our own hay because it's hard to get anyone around here to do it when it needs to be done. With equipment priced like it is it's hard to make it pencil out so some of our stuff is new and the rest is gently used by older ranchers getting out of the business. We put up enough square bales for the barn horses and sell some as well, we roll enough for our cattle and this year we had a good hay season so there's enough to sell
farmerjan
Well-known member
I too like the hay making.... I do nearly all the tedding when necessary and the raking... It is peaceful, and I do alot of thinking and enjoying the being outside. Some days get brutally hot, and I use the open station, no canopy Ford 4600 99% of the time...so sometimes a little rough..... but mostly it is just nice to be out in the air and sunshine... no one around to bother me....
Besides it is nice to look out at the end of a long row and see that you have accomplished something... and it looks like "money in the bank" in as much as it is insurance that we will get through another winter...
chevytaHOE5674
Well-known member
I love making hay, look forward to it all year long.
Travlr
Well-known member
I like putting it in the barn. Like @farmerjan said... Money in the bank
midTN_Brangusman
Well-known member
I purchase my hay each year. I'm in the cattle business not the hay business.
WFfarm
Well-known member
We'd probably make more money selling the hay then running it thru the cattle rumen.
