hay price

[iowahawkeyes]

went to the hay sale yesterday, paid 102.50 for 10 tons, round bales of really nice orchard grass. Hay is going to cost a lot more this year! A lot of years we bought really nice hay for $60

 

[denoginnizer]

102.50 per ton? you paid one hundred and two dollarrs for 10 tons of hay?

Help me understand , I am southern boy and we buy our hay by the roll.

 

[iowahawkeyes]

102.50 per ton for 12 round bales (10Ton) of hay. I guess I didn't explain that quite right. We have different sizes of bales here (small, medium, large, large squares, small squares) So it's sold by the ton for the big stuff. Large rounds of corn stalks are selling for $20-$23 each.

 

[cowboy44]

Paid $72 for 1000 lb round rolls delivered were trucked about 150 miles from costal area was gardo bluestem looked like it has been rained on.Beggers can't be choosey no hay in local area some going up to $80 a roll or more will not be much profit this year because of drought.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

We've been paying $100 a roll for ~1500# horse quality bermuda hay, delivered and unloaded. Protein running around 12% or so. This is weedfree, fertilized, irrigated. From local producer.

In past we've tried Bluestem, Haygrazer, Redtop Cane (all in 6% to 8% protein range). NOT cost-effective! Our 20% range cube costs for protein supplement made this type of hay rather expensive. We wouldn't even consider feeding corn stalks, straw, or other very low protein hay...

As a result of our "quality" feeding program, our Longhorns look very good (based on feedback from local commercial cattle people as well as other Longhorn breeders), have excellent feed conversion. Our pasture (almost a joke) supplements when it ever does rain...

Bottomline: Quality forage and/or hay IS cost-effective...at least with our intensive management program and limited pasture space. We also use high-quality protein/multi-vitamin molasses tubs (Not those 200# generic tubs). No cattle illnesses, no deaths, no calving problems...knock on wood ;-)

 

[Susie David]

This year we're paying $120/ton for second cut alfalfa deliverd to the barn. Did get some earlier in the season for $85 in the field but had the Russians come in and buy a whole field for their goats so I only got half a shed full. May just contract a field of second cut for next year.
Dmc

 

[regenwether]

The Hay will follow the Corn Price. I hope you don't have to buy much Hay. I'm trying to find more Corn Stalks to run my Cow. Most of the Dang Grain Farmers have dozed the Fences out. I hate messing with electric wire!

 

[iowahawkeyes]

today's price was $72 per ton for 20 tons of brome grass, not as good a quality as the other day

 

[Herefordcross]

It's funny how things work, I know where I can get the best Fan Dried Alfalfa that Canada has to offer delivered to our door for $154 a ton, I don't know if he would go that far out west but, man alive it's amazing. The guys here at the hay auctions are paying 230+++ a ton for Alfalfa and have to haul it 50 -75 miles to get it home.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

We've been paying $100 a roll for ~1500# horse quality bermuda hay, delivered and unloaded. Protein running around 12% or so. This is weedfree, fertilized, irrigated. From local producer.

In past we've tried Bluestem, Haygrazer, Redtop Cane (all in 6% to 8% protein range). NOT cost-effective! Our 20% range cube costs for protein supplement made this type of hay rather expensive. We wouldn't even consider feeding corn stalks, straw, or other very low protein hay...

As a result of our "quality" feeding program, our Longhorns look very good (based on feedback from local commercial cattle people as well as other Longhorn breeders), have excellent feed conversion. Our pasture (almost a joke) supplements when it ever does rain...

Bottomline: Quality forage and/or hay IS cost-effective...at least with our intensive management program and limited pasture space. We also use high-quality protein/multi-vitamin molasses tubs (Not those 200# generic tubs). No cattle illnesses, no deaths, no calving problems...knock on wood ;-)

It's hard to ask a question in this venue without sounding like a smart a__ but I'm going to ask anyway. Please don't take it the wrong way. I am simply curious with what steers (no pun intended) folks in the direction they take.

Why are you raising Longhorns? Surely not for the meat quality. And if not for the meat quality why are you feeding material that costs many $$$$ more that normal. I was always under the impression that 10 Longhorns could eat and thrive on one blade of bitter weed per acre. (Ha)

Thanks in advance for your response.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

We've been paying $100 a roll for ~1500# horse quality bermuda hay, delivered and unloaded. Protein running around 12% or so. This is weedfree, fertilized, irrigated. From local producer.

In past we've tried Bluestem, Haygrazer, Redtop Cane (all in 6% to 8% protein range). NOT cost-effective! Our 20% range cube costs for protein supplement made this type of hay rather expensive. We wouldn't even consider feeding corn stalks, straw, or other very low protein hay...

As a result of our "quality" feeding program, our Longhorns look very good (based on feedback from local commercial cattle people as well as other Longhorn breeders), have excellent feed conversion. Our pasture (almost a joke) supplements when it ever does rain...

Bottomline: Quality forage and/or hay IS cost-effective...at least with our intensive management program and limited pasture space. We also use high-quality protein/multi-vitamin molasses tubs (Not those 200# generic tubs). No cattle illnesses, no deaths, no calving problems...knock on wood ;-)

It's hard to ask a question in this venue without sounding like a smart a__ but I'm going to ask anyway. Please don't take it the wrong way. I am simply curious with what steers (no pun intended) folks in the direction they take.

Why are you raising Longhorns? Surely not for the meat quality. And if not for the meat quality why are you feeding material that costs many $$$$ more that normal. I was always under the impression that 10 Longhorns could eat and thrive on one blade of bitter weed per acre. (Ha)

Thanks in advance for your response.

Yes, Longhorns can stay alive on less than other breeds and tend to require only about 80% of forage of other breeds (including things some of the "picky" other breeds won't eat). HOWEVER, a Longhorn on a sparse diet will look rangy, bony, and scraggly. Fed properly, they will fill out and have some decent body condition.

Longhorns have many uses unlike other breeds. Us seedstock producers feed and care for our LH in a quality way to ensure the buyer has quality & healthy stock to have...what they do with them after getting them is their business.

As is "common" knowledge, LH's have little backfat, low cholesterol, and 95-98% naturally lean beef.

 

[dun]

As is "common" knowledge, LH's have little backfat, low cholesterol, and 95-98% naturally lean beef.

You left out very little muscle unless compared to dairy breeds.

dun

 

[Earl Thigpen]

We've been paying $100 a roll for ~1500# horse quality bermuda hay, delivered and unloaded. Protein running around 12% or so. This is weedfree, fertilized, irrigated. From local producer.

In past we've tried Bluestem, Haygrazer, Redtop Cane (all in 6% to 8% protein range). NOT cost-effective! Our 20% range cube costs for protein supplement made this type of hay rather expensive. We wouldn't even consider feeding corn stalks, straw, or other very low protein hay...

As a result of our "quality" feeding program, our Longhorns look very good (based on feedback from local commercial cattle people as well as other Longhorn breeders), have excellent feed conversion. Our pasture (almost a joke) supplements when it ever does rain...

Bottomline: Quality forage and/or hay IS cost-effective...at least with our intensive management program and limited pasture space. We also use high-quality protein/multi-vitamin molasses tubs (Not those 200# generic tubs). No cattle illnesses, no deaths, no calving problems...knock on wood ;-)

It's hard to ask a question in this venue without sounding like a smart a__ but I'm going to ask anyway. Please don't take it the wrong way. I am simply curious with what steers (no pun intended) folks in the direction they take.

Why are you raising Longhorns? Surely not for the meat quality. And if not for the meat quality why are you feeding material that costs many $$$$ more that normal. I was always under the impression that 10 Longhorns could eat and thrive on one blade of bitter weed per acre. (Ha)

Thanks in advance for your response.

Yes, Longhorns can stay alive on less than other breeds and tend to require only about 80% of forage of other breeds (including things some of the "picky" other breeds won't eat). HOWEVER, a Longhorn on a sparse diet will look rangy, bony, and scraggly. Fed properly, they will fill out and have some decent body condition.

Longhorns have many uses unlike other breeds. Us seedstock producers feed and care for our LH in a quality way to ensure the buyer has quality & healthy stock to have...what they do with them after getting them is their business.

As is "common" knowledge, LH's have little backfat, low cholesterol, and 95-98% naturally lean beef.

Thanks for responding without tearing my head off. I kinda expected you would say you were providing LH's for other LH enthusiasts. Someone asked me the other day if I knew where they could buy LH's. If you don't mind I'll send them your way.

 

[kaneranch]

My boss raises longhorns alongs with angus, herford, and crosses with some brahman in them. If you looked at the calves you could not tell the differece in the longhorns. Thanks Kaneranch

 

[lilmac]

We paid $48.00 per for 50 large round bails of love grass deleverd 50 mi.
Our own hay field of blue stem produced 1/3 of last year because of drough.
Mac

 

[r and s peckman]

I have seen good bean hay go for 100 dollars a ton. Corn stuble for 30 dollars a bale. In this area, you can not find any grass hay. The hay is being shipped in from a good distance.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Response to Earl Thigpen (any any other's interested).

About 10-15% of our longhorn (bull) sales are to area ranchers who want to cross a LH Bull with their commercial cattle breeds. To date, these customers have been more than satisfied with the calves they got.

The rest of our sales are to both new and established Longhorn breeders who are interested in our genetic lines as well as specific color patterns of our longhorns. Still others want a "low maintenance" animal to maintain their Ag Exemption. These breeders are using ours mostly for outcrossing; some for line breeding.

Territory-wise, our sales have ranged from Tennessee to California; and, most of our customers have decided to purchase from us based on (1) our website, and (2) referrals & networking from some of our longhorn friends.

True...Longhorns for the most part do not have the muscle structure that the commercial breeds do. However, people that buy Longhorns are not looking for "feedlot beef"; but because they "Like" Longhorns (or) they want to cross them with another breed. Also, pasture ornaments, easy-keepers for "absentee" owners checking on them once a week or so, and not having to worry about health problems or having to pull a calf.

Another "plus" (if you will) is that a Longhorn is rather energy efficient and can "survive" on limited forage sources. In fact, in decades past on some of the long distance trail drives to the rail heads in Abilene, KS, Kansas City, etc., some of the longhorns actually gained weight along the drives in the sparce countrysides. However, like any animal, for them to look their best, they need decent nutrition on a consistent basis.

Still another "plus" for Longhorns is just that: Long Horns. Few predators have survived or returned after encountering a set of horns (especially if a cow has an un-weaned calf). Even the calves learn at an early age to challenge unwanted small visitors. Our dogs learned rather quickly not to enter our longhorn pastures...they stayed in the middle of our alleyways away from the horns. :)

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Hay Price Considerations:

We have purchased semi-loads of hay from the "less expensive" areas in central Texas in past; however, at our location after hauling costs, wasn't that much cheaper. Also, our local supplier of "quality" hay (irrigated, fertilized, weed-free) is fast service and reliable and we have no fear of fire ants that many of the other Texas locations have. We do not have fire ants in our area...

We have also purchased less expensive Haygrazer and Bluestem from some area suppliers. However, due to low protein %, our extra mineral and 20% range cube supplementation cancelled out much of the "savings" on this type of hay.

True: Hay prices in 2006 have sucked! Hit us hard (as it has everyone else). Hope 2007 will be better. On other hand, one of our better weaned calves we sold this Fall bought us 20 round bales of hay...hope we can sell some more of those!!

 

[Millerfamfarms]

We get anywhere from $120-$130 a ton for big squares at our doorstep. Who knows how much those boys are paying for trucking. I heard somewhere that it would cost them around $175 a ton in total. That is for our hay that has an RFV of almost 200. I think it was 194.