Hay for winter 06-07

[dj]

Lack of mositure is making me wonder. Should I be trying to arrange for hay for 06-07 now? Short supplies make dickering more interesting for sure. This is the first time I have seen hay stock pulled so low. Bales 3-4 yrs old being fed out or sold.
1 fella had some 4x5's that been there 6-7 years. Now they were just big mounds. Fenced off with electric wire and fed out in place.

Texans did your moisture last week help the pastures?
How about the wheat?

 

[dun]

Lack of mositure is making me wonder. Should I be trying to arrange for hay for 06-07 now? Short supplies make dickering more interesting for sure. This is the first time I have seen hay stock pulled so low. Bales 3-4 yrs old being fed out or sold.
1 fella had some 4x5's that been there 6-7 years. Now they were just big mounds. Fenced off with electric wire and fed out in place.

Texans did your moisture last week help the pastures?
How about the wheat?

Same quandry we're in. We bought in 2 semiloads last year and got enough rain in one spurt to get the pastures up to the point that we'vegrazed them up until a couple of weeks ago which is when we usually start feeding hay anyway. I've had people wanting to buy one ofthe loads but I've held off, now I'm beginningto think I made the right decision (for a change).

dun

 

[dj]

We have missed some of the moisture you have gotten.
It either starts between Springfield and us and runs NE or between Boliver and us and goes SE. But I'm glad someone is getting what they get.

I'd sit pat on the hay also. If the situation doesn't correct pretty soon Caustic will have a chance to pick-up some potfuls at Joplin too.

 

[dun]

We have missed some of the moisture you have gotten.
It either starts between Springfield and us and runs NE or between Boliver and us and goes SE. But I'm glad someone is getting what they get.

I'd sit pat on the hay also. If the situation doesn't correct pretty soon Caustic will have a chance to pick-up some potfuls at Joplin too.

The map may show rain but the real conditions don;t. We had rain in August, that's it other then an occasional 100th of an inch here and there. We di get more then Springfield though in february, .11 inches total they only got .09

dun

 

[dj]

We got zip nadda. Although the in-laws 1/2 mi. south got a sprinkle. I was kinda amazed when Polk didn't make the drought list. Tallked with a fella in Pleasant Hope that has resorted to spreading water :shock:

 

[bwranch]

Real dry here in Franklin County also. I've been riding the fence for the last couple of weeks about whether to fertilize or wait for rain. What did/are you guys doing with your field work? If I'm going to get my clover down for frost seed (that seems a funny thought when it's 70 outside) it's probably now or never. I shouldn't really spend time worrying about it though. I can be 90% confident that whatever I do will be wrong. At least I'm consistent. January would have been great for calving (now that we've moved completely to late March).

 

[LonghornRanch]

I am willing to bet everyone will be working the hay fields this year. You always have a boom after a bust. Everybody will be hoping to make big money on hay this year...... so you will have a over supply and prices will crash. Now just watch the weather, more drought, high hay prices. Normal rain (with increased, fieldwork) low hay prices. I will be watching the monthy hay reports very close this year.

 

[mitchwi]

I am willing to bet everyone will be working the hay fields this year. You always have a boom after a bust. Everybody will be hoping to make big money on hay this year...... so you will have a over supply and prices will crash. Now just watch the weather, more drought, high hay prices. Normal rain (will increased, fieldwork) low hay prices. I will be watching the monthy hay reports very close this year.

On the flip side of that equation is corn, with corn prices so low, hay high will that mean less corn planted to bring the corn prices up?

 

[johndeerefarmer]

I got 2.25" last week. It was near 90 degrees yesterday. Things are greening up................ My rye grass is starting to grow. Its still too cold for the bermuda to start growing.

We are expecting rain nearly everyday for the next week :lol:

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

Start buying hay as soon as possible....as my wizened old neighbor is fond of saying...." its better to have hay in the barn than money in the bank". ;-) :cboy:

 

[Anonymous]

Bought mine and it's in the barn for 06/07, high grade Alfala out of colorado and some local Timothy. If it's I dry year I'll be ready if it's not a dry year then come summer I'll stack hay in the barn for 07/08.

 

[stocky]

ARMT, out of curiosity, what did you have to pay for Colorado alfalfa? Good alfalfa trucked in here is 140-150 per ton. I cant imagine how much more it must cost to truck it that far. I buy my hay in June and then buy a whole lot more in Sept and during the winter if it is cheap. Right now, good bales cost 35 dollars, so I wouldnt contract hay for those kind of prices. If there is a poor hay crop, you can buy it for less than that in June and if there is a real bumper crop, you can buy it for half that next fall. If you have to pay 35 for hay around here, you are better off to sell the cows.

 

[dun]

Real dry here in Franklin County also. I've been riding the fence for the last couple of weeks about whether to fertilize or wait for rain. What did/are you guys doing with your field work? If I'm going to get my clover down for frost seed (that seems a funny thought when it's 70 outside) it's probably now or never. I shouldn't really spend time worrying about it though. I can be 90% confident that whatever I do will be wrong. At least I'm consistent. January would have been great for calving (now that we've moved completely to late March).

We just finished fertilizing yesterday in hopes of enough rain to do some good.
I out most of the clover down in december-january, for frost seedingto work there needs to be soil moisture and cold. Last year I waited till mid february to frost seed and didn;t get much of a germination.

dun

 

[jgn]

Thankfully we've kept our extra hay every year. So far this year I'm still feeding hay cut from 2004 and looks like this will last me for this season. Getting ready to seed a pasture mix today if the wind isn't to bad. Good luck to everyone on getting some rain this year.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Still got hay left grass is poppin here about 8 inches of rain in the last month. Cows are backin off the hay want that green stuff.

 

[Subsoil]

Still got hay left grass is poppin here about 8 inches of rain in the last month. Cows are backin off the hay want that green stuff.

must be nice

 

[DoubleK]

Yes, guys stockpiles are low here in SW Missouri and another reason to get your hay early this year is we'll be paying $2.50 or more per gallon fuel and a lot of people cut corners on fertilizer because of the over $330 per ton is cost here. I am looking for below average hay season from a production standpoint.


Dub

 

[TheBullLady]

Yes, I would contract hay for '06 and '07. Same situation here.. all excess supplies are gone, and a lot of two and three year old hay is also. Producers will want to stockpile it for this winter, in case we have a bad harvest.

A LOT of people here fed range cubes when hay ran out. Corn prices were a blessing for folks wanting to feed rations instead of hay.

 

[EIEIO]

Spent $1600 in the last week buying up some hay from a guy that had enough to last him the rest of the year. All stored inside, net wrapped quality stuff from last year. I'll be filling up the hay barn early by buying and will hope my own crop is good. Won't get caught again without at least a year extra supply on hand.

Got high hopes of a good hay crop this year. We are still in a drought situation here but have had some decent moisture of late and it had warmed up nice but we are now facing a cold snap just after I got used to watching the cattle graze instead of having their heads stuck in hay bales.

Most everyone I've talked to are doing the same as I and trying to fill their barns early or contract out hay buying so I expect the prices to be at least $5-10 a bale higher this year. Hope I'm wrong but unless it's just an ideal growing season I got a feeling hay will be high.

J

 

[fojokin]

No problems here In KC MO, although the cows dont like tha pasture grass anyway I've been told its sour? Well that will have to do untill we move more south or closer into Kansas.