Hay by the ton?????

[Bigfoot]

stranbe question, and I've reworded it 5 times, and it still doesn't capture what all I'm wanting to know:

I'm in western Ky. What area closest to me, has hay by the ton? I can make my own guess on shipping.

Also, can you get 50,000 pounds on an 18 wheeler?

 

[M-5]

all hay can be bought by the ton . some just price it by the roll. but when the math is done its very close to the ones that sell by the ton. most trucking will try to stay around 48000 #

 

[Bigfoot]

all hay can be bought by the ton . some just price it by the roll. but when the math is done its very close to the ones that sell by the ton. most trucking will try to stay around 48000 #

I'm having trouble wording my question. Yes, I can probably buy hay by the ton, but not readily available in my area (to my knowledge, not at all).

I "think" parts of Arkansas there are people engaged in hay production, that you pick up the phone, place the call, and the hay is on its way.

To the best of my figures, I have $93 a ton in my own hay. That doesn't include the loss of land for grazing. When grass hay is bought by the ton, what is the price range.

 

[M-5]

its relative to the area your buying from and the current drought conditions. I have seen it 120 a ton to 165 a ton. Here its bought and sold by the roll still. but I have started doing more research because I will sell some hay this year because of the need for quality in the market place , hay traders are in every area of the country . TB and a few other will tell you that you need to test what your buying , That is hard to do when buying out of state. then you factor in freight which is at a premium right now with the passage of ELD , I have manufactures I've been buying from for years and the freight shipments are 30days out . I have had to start arranging my own shipments of shingles and the trucks are running around 1200 $ a load for a 5 hr haul .

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

BF have you tried the hay exchange? I usually find local hay on craigslist. Will not buy hay again without having it tested, learned the hard way.

 

[Bigfoot]

BF have you tried the hay exchange? I usually find local hay on craigslist. Will not buy hay again without having it tested, learned the hard way.

I've got a user name on the hay exchange. Hay production like I have in mind seems to be far south of me, and far west of me.

One might could get lucky, and find hay on Craigslist here. Majority of hay I see on there would be pretty poor quality.

Id like to find someone, that I could commit with, to go ahead and bring me hay in the summer, when it's cut. Store it here, and have it when fall comes.

I don't need enough, to meet my entire hay needs. I just need a portion. We may be talking 2 semi lol ads though.

 

[Lucky]

I bought hay this year that was priced by the bale but he spot weighed several bales and then priced the rolls accordingly. My price came out to $96 a ton delivered If I remember right. This was for jiggs or tifton that was cut and fertilized every 30-40 days. It's worked out good feeding high quality hay this year. I noticed the man put in a full set of truck sales this winter so I figure from now on he will be selling it per ton. I would rather buy it by the ton, who knows for sure what a bale really weighs unless it's weighed.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

BF have you tried the hay exchange? I usually find local hay on craigslist. Will not buy hay again without having it tested, learned the hard way.

I've got a user name on the hay exchange. Hay production like I have in mind seems to be far south of me, and far west of me.

One might could get lucky, and find hay on Craigslist here. Majority of hay I see on there would be pretty poor quality.

Id like to find someone, that I could commit with, to go ahead and bring me hay in the summer, when it's cut. Store it here, and have it when fall comes.

I don't need enough, to meet my entire hay needs. I just need a portion. We may be talking 2 semi lol ads though.

BF if you happen to find a good supplier, please let me know. I would also like to get a few loads mid summer and not wait until I need it.

 

[Bigfoot]

BF have you tried the hay exchange? I usually find local hay on craigslist. Will not buy hay again without having it tested, learned the hard way.

I've got a user name on the hay exchange. Hay production like I have in mind seems to be far south of me, and far west of me.

One might could get lucky, and find hay on Craigslist here. Majority of hay I see on there would be pretty poor quality.

Id like to find someone, that I could commit with, to go ahead and bring me hay in the summer, when it's cut. Store it here, and have it when fall comes.

I don't need enough, to meet my entire hay needs. I just need a portion. We may be talking 2 semi lol ads though.

BF if you happen to find a good supplier, please let me know. I would also like to get a few loads mid summer and not wait until I need it.

The "reliable" looking adds are south of you in Mississippi and Alabama. Freight from there to here is going to be spendy. You might be in luck. All I have is a tobacco wagon to move hay on. Can't go no piece like that. Even if I had a nice gooseneck, that trip would not be feasible.

I'll tip my hand here.......I know this site doesn't work this way, but I was hoping I'd get a pm from somebody that had the contacts

 

[Dave]

I am way too far west of you. That said grass hay is running $80 to $120 a ton depending on what it is. The rancher I help feed is feeding a lot of haybet barley that he told me cost him $100 a ton. I know there are a lot of different state laws regarding haul weights. There is a guy is sit with at the coffee shop 4 or 5 times a week who custom hauls hay. I know that last week he hauled a load down from Moses Lake and his gross weight was 101,000. The hay I bought the last few years (3 by 4 big squares) ran about 29 ton per load. You can get more weight on a truck with big square than with round bales because they stack tighter.

 

[M-5]

I have typed this message 3 times and then erased it. I am working toward doing what you are looking for. I have the trucking contacts and I am slowly getting to hay fields up to snuff. I can pump out volume but Im trying to work on quality more . I will never be able at this point to be a major player because of time but I could see in a year or 2 to sell 500+ rolls with trucking. I already have a few folks wanting hay based of what o sold this past year.

 

[Beefeater]

Bought a few loads several years ago. Purchased hay directly, and lined up my own trucking. It was a logistical nightmare. Not a lot of truckers wanting to haul hay - field narrrows even more when you try to find a 52' step deck trailer. Then comes the really hard part of playing middleman trying to coordinate loading and pickup... (Trucker ready, farmer gone, field too wet, night loading, etc). Think I'd probably just pay a little more and work with a broker or someone capable of delivering if purchasing out of state again.

I've never seen hay on a train, but have always wondered if it could be done economically if enough cars could be loaded or an intermodal facility was close. Probably not, with cheap grains and weight...

 

[M-5]

Tifton 85. I am talking to ifas about trying to integrate alfalfa into it. I planted crimson clover
On 20 acres this past fall. I really did not want to be a hay peddler and will not put all my eggs in one basket but in trying to make a high quality forage for my little bunch I have found a need for good product without dealing with the crazy horse folks.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

If you are feeding every day, why not incorporate corn silage into your feed program? In a bad year, I have less than $30/ton in it, and never touch a thing until I feed it. Hire it planted, hire it sprayed, hire it fertilized, hire it chopped and hire it bagged. I know it ain't apples to apples, but it's worth a look.

 

[Bigfoot]

If you are feeding every day, why not incorporate corn silage into your feed program? In a bad year, I have less than $30/ton in it, and never touch a thing until I feed it. Hire it planted, hire it sprayed, hire it fertilized, hire it chopped and hire it bagged. I know it ain't apples to apples, but it's worth a look.

I did one time, and loved it. A guy was traveling through doing custom chopping. I bough about 10 acres of standing corn. He hadn't been this way since. Nobody to chop it.

 

[Bigfoot]

The problem with where I live, is fescue is not productive enough for somebody to devote the time and resources to straight hay production. Some of your productive grasses from the south: improved varieties of Bermuda, red river crabgrass, etc. they just don't work here.

My land is much more profitable for grazing, than hay production. Reason being, the weather doesn't really put that on hold. Fescue needs its first cutting, a month before the weanther allows it. Relegates me to two cuttings. Both are usually over mature. Cow goes right on. Cloudy days don't slow her down. She can harvest more forage, than my hay mower can in a 7 month growing season.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

If you are feeding every day, why not incorporate corn silage into your feed program? In a bad year, I have less than $30/ton in it, and never touch a thing until I feed it. Hire it planted, hire it sprayed, hire it fertilized, hire it chopped and hire it bagged. I know it ain't apples to apples, but it's worth a look.

I did one time, and loved it. A guy was traveling through doing custom chopping. I bough about 10 acres of standing corn. He hadn't been this way since. Nobody to chop it.

FFS , would it not be cheaper to buy the silage straight out and graze the corn land? Just curious.

 

[Son of Butch]

Also, can you get 50,000 pounds on an 18 wheeler?

A guy could.
Depends on shape of bale, how they are stacked, the moisture content/weight of bales and trailer style and length.
Semi loads of hay will range from 18-26 tons 36,000 - 52,000 lbs

5x5 round bale loads average 21.5 tons = 43,000 lbs
large square bale loads average 23.5 ton = 47,000 lbs
the heaviest load of 5x5 round bales I ever saw was 25.7 ton = 51,400 lbs

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

If you are feeding every day, why not incorporate corn silage into your feed program? In a bad year, I have less than $30/ton in it, and never touch a thing until I feed it. Hire it planted, hire it sprayed, hire it fertilized, hire it chopped and hire it bagged. I know it ain't apples to apples, but it's worth a look.

I did one time, and loved it. A guy was traveling through doing custom chopping. I bough about 10 acres of standing corn. He hadn't been this way since. Nobody to chop it.

FFS , would it not be cheaper to buy the silage straight out and graze the corn land? Just curious.

Not if you have the tillable ground, in my opinion. 200 bushel corn will gross $742/acre, which would value the silage at around $37/ton plus $10/ton to chop and bag it. Grain has a lower input cost than silage, since it takes more organic matter to make the next crop, so there is actually quite a cost difference in the two. We chase the silage with wheat, which makes great fall/winter/spring grazing, so there really isn't any loss of grazing days, and we have plenty of manure (cattle, and hog) so organic matter isn't much of an issue. I found myself overstocked and out of pasture when cattle were at their best a few years ago, and I was able to carry 1.4 pairs per acre. It was labor intensive, and they didn't get out of the feedlot until the silage was chopped.....but the profit margin was very good. Corn silage, wheat pasture, and a little bit of dry hay was the only feed I had with that set of cows. They made more money than the two groups on grass.

 

[TexasBred]

BF have you tried the hay exchange? I usually find local hay on craigslist. Will not buy hay again without having it tested, learned the hard way.

I've got a user name on the hay exchange. Hay production like I have in mind seems to be far south of me, and far west of me.

One might could get lucky, and find hay on Craigslist here. Majority of hay I see on there would be pretty poor quality.

Id like to find someone, that I could commit with, to go ahead and bring me hay in the summer, when it's cut. Store it here, and have it when fall comes.

I don't need enough, to meet my entire hay needs. I just need a portion. We may be talking 2 semi lol ads though.

Bigfoot sounds like it would be well worth your time to try and make contact with a hay supplier, arrange to go and meet him, look at his operation, his equipment, his trucking and get to know HIM. You could discuss your needs, how much you want, how and when you want it delivered. Really just get to know the man and his operation and developing a relationship. Leave nothing unsaid so there will be no surprises. I've been buying hay from the same man now for about 12 years. He has raises good hay, bales good hay, has good equipment for haying and hauling. He knows what both of us are expecting. I test it at my expense ($12.00) and I test moisture myself. Have always got exactly what we agreed upon. As long as he doesn't drop the ball I have no reason to even look anywhere else.