Drought Hay Pricing ?

[kenny thomas]

In 2007 I even bought big square bales of corn stalks to keep the cows. Never again.

 

[necattle]

Hay prices have been going up steadily here. Semi loads of grass cow hay hit U$S 240 per ton at an auction last week. It would be cheaper to buy local shell corn...

What would be the highest price per ton you have seen loads cow hay sell for during a drought?

2013 hay reached $250 ton in Nebraska with trucking not included. Rates on trucking have literally doubled in our current inflation and post pandemic economy. The big question to answer what do the numbers look like.
Corn cubes at $375 this week. A Bred cow will take 4 tons of hay in the winter will take 4 to 6 bales of hay to get to grass depending on the severity of the winter here in Ne. Typically a drought year can be followed with a very cold winter. So is the bred cow worth the $250/ton hay?
Probably not except for the fact that no one wants to completely pay for and rebuild a cow herd. I have found it to be a ten year program. So the prime herd should be kept together at all costs.
I believe there will be a drought relief program but will probably not be here in time to purchase hay or feed this year. In 2013, it came I believe in 2014? But possibly 2013. The actual drought was 2012 but 2013 was the first winter.

 

[necattle]

Hay prices have been going up steadily here. Semi loads of grass cow hay hit U$S 240 per ton at an auction last week. It would be cheaper to buy local shell corn...

What would be the highest price per ton you have seen loads cow hay sell for during a drought?

Hay prices have been going up steadily here. Semi loads of grass cow hay hit U$S 240 per ton at an auction last week. It would be cheaper to buy local shell corn...

What would be the highest price per ton you have seen loads cow hay sell for during a drought?

2013 hay reached $250 ton in Nebraska with trucking not included. Rates on trucking have literally doubled in our current inflation and post pandemic economy. The big question to answer what do the numbers look like.
Corn cubes at $375 this week. A Bred cow will take 4 tons of hay in the winter will take 4 to 6 bales of hay to get to grass depending on the severity of the winter here in Ne. Typically a drought year can be followed with a very cold winter. So is the bred cow worth the $250/ton hay?
Probably not except for the fact that no one wants to completely pay for and rebuild a cow herd. I have found it to be a ten year program. So the prime herd should be kept together at all costs.
I believe there will be a drought relief program but will probably not be here in time to purchase hay or feed this year. In 2013, it came I believe in 2014? But possibly 2013. The actual drought was 2012 but 2013 was the first winter.

 

[greybeard]

Could sell cows and sell hay. Hummmm...

I've seen that too in 2011. A big hay/cow producer west of Houston had hundreds of rounds in his barn left from 2010 and 2009 and instead of feeding his cows, he sold the cows early in the summer so he could sell the hay at 3x what it had cost him to produce and bale it a couple of years later, then bought back into cows at the end of the sell off and still came out way ahead. Drought ended in 2012 so he was then set up pretty for the upswing in beef replacement heifer prices that followed.

$100 4x5 hi density round that weighs 1000lbs or more=$200/ton hay.
Each momma will eat about a ton every 2 months if that's their only available dry matter.
How long before the producer is way upside down in just maintenance costs per AU?
Not long.
Especially if early winter comes.

 

[greybeard]

Yep, it would be hard to make the decision to sell off and then rebuild, and it results in a lifetime of work going across the scales on top of the financial agony...

 

[Stocker Steve]

2013 hay reached $250 ton in Nebraska with trucking not included. Rates on trucking have literally doubled in our current inflation and post pandemic economy. The big question to answer what do the numbers look like.
Corn cubes at $375 this week. A Bred cow will take 4 tons of hay in the winter will take 4 to 6 bales of hay to get to grass depending on the severity of the winter here in Ne. Typically a drought year can be followed with a very cold winter. So is the bred cow worth the $250/ton hay?

The media makes it sound like you don't need hay in NE - - rather you can have your cows custom graze cheap NE corn stalks ?

 

[Stocker Steve]

he sold the cows early in the summer so he could sell the hay at 3x what it had cost him to produce and bale it a couple of years later, then bought back into cows at the end of the sell off

He sounded pretty smart till you said he bought cows back....

 

[Stocker Steve]

In 2007 I even bought big square bales of corn stalks to keep the cows. Never again.

Baled corn stalks were the cheapest cow feed last winter, but there will not be many made here this fall because a lot of corn will have to be chopped.

 

[greybeard]

He sounded pretty smart till you said he bought cows back....

It's a bit hard to get it out of your blood...

At the end of the 2011 cattle selloff here, replacement heifers were going for a fraction of what they are now or were a couple years later. Some places in Texas are doing ok with hay. The big reason there will be/is a shortage is because it was too muddy wet to cut dry and bale.

 

[greybeard]

My post should have read "He sold it at 3x what it had cost him to produce and bale it a couple of years earlier,"

 

[necattle]

The media makes it sound like you don't need hay in NE - - rather you can have your cows custom graze cheap NE corn stalks ?

Tremendous need. No carry over and
Early frosts n drought leave ranchers 20 to 30% short.

 

[1982vett]

If most everyone sold off half their herds, I say most everyone because some of us have done just that, they would be surprised in the workload and input costs one can get by with…even with irregular rainfall.

 

[coachg]

So sorry for all of you and prayers for needed rain ! I'm in northeastern Alabama and we have had one of the wettest years / summers I can remember in quite awhile . We made an abundance of ryegrass hay and our grass hay -fescue / mixed grass and clover was a little above average. Waiting on a week of dry weather to cut our grass hay again . Pastures are all green and lush . We have been through some of those drought years too so I know how you feel . 2 years ago i fed my hay that I sell or give my neighbors in August , September and October . Which are normally months we don't feed hay . I normally carry over 100-125 rolls but that year I had 6-7 left .Culled some good older momma's that year to keep younger ones and kept no heifers .

 

[gusea305]

In bad times we could usually buy rye grass straw and spray mollasses water on it. I'm not certain the presses will leave any for us this year.

I know i can still get blown out bent grass but we will likely have to supplement heavily.

 

[Dave]

In bad times we could usually buy rye grass straw and spray mollasses water on it. I'm not certain the presses will leave any for us this year.

I know i can still get blown out bent grass but we will likely have to supplement heavily.

I have fed a lot of bent grass straw in the past. Feed it free choice along with 10 pounds of alfalfa a day. They do well on it. I wonder what they will want for that this year. A lot of the meadow grass hay in this country and down south of here wasn't even cut this year. Not enough grass to make it worth cutting.

 

[JParrott]

Mixed grass premium is $40-70 a bale; good $30-50 here.

 

[Stocker Steve]

In bad times we could usually buy rye grass straw and spray mollasses water on it. I'm not certain the presses will leave any for us this year.

I know i can still get blown out bent grass but we will likely have to supplement heavily.

What equipment did you use to apply it?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Cow hay hit U$S 260 per ton. Corn choppers are being pulled out sheds. I think hay prices come down once there are some feed piles made.

Dry enough here that my millet is not growing at all. SS is calf high. So strip grazing weedy soybeans now. Cows eat the beans right away, then stand for a while, then go back and top off the weeds. Beans did not get even close to canopy so there are a lot of weeds...

 

[gusea305]

What equipment did you use to apply it?

Pump sprayer. I imagine a larger operation could use any clean sprayer.

 

[papavillars]

Neighbor B say once fall cows and the cows come out of the hills he is going to count bales and count cows and sell things until the numbers match up.