Hay Prices This Year

[cowsrus]

Hay prices are all over the board around here this year, most is $40-$45 dollars for a 4x5 bale of mixed grass hay. I have seen prices on Craigslist from $35 to $65 dollars. I advertised some on Craiglist for $45 for a 4x5 bale and didn't even get a phone call and that was with free delivery, just cause i already had it loaded. I'll just unload it and keep it for myself. Must be lots of hay this year or people are waiting for prices to drop. It's starting to get dry around here though and some of them may be sorry they didn't grab some just in case. Just wondering how everything is going around the country.

 

[OklaBrangusBreeder]

I sold 56 bales from my 1st cutting for $45. I bale 4x5.5 bales. I was up about 40% in bale count over same cutting last year. So yes, I think there is an abundance of early cutting hay. Yet to be seen how the rest of the summer unfolds...

 

[cowsrus]

We were up to from last year, but not a whole lot. As much rain as we had this year, i thought we would be way up. Might be a carry over from two dry years in a row.

 

[John SD]

Guys, IMO it's kinda like comparing apples and oranges to make or derive any meaningful comparison with only bale dimensions offered as information. There is a lot of difference between bales produced by older and soft core balers and more modern balers that pack the hay really tight.

Wouldn't it be better to figure the price of hay on a per ton basis in order to compare apples to apples? I figure the 5x5 bales I normally make weigh 1300 lbs. My old baler was only capable of making 5x5 bales. Although the bales were the same size the bales from my old baler only weighed 800 lbs.

I have made 5 x 6 bales but only to finish a swath. Full size bales are just heavier than I want to routinely handle with my equipment. I realize a lot of people do it.

I've never actually weighed a 5 x6 bale of my hay. Operator's manual claims a full size bale will weigh 2000 lbs.

 

[Jogeephus]

It would make sense to sell it by the ton till you take into account that most people don't have certified scales on their property and selling on noncertified scales is illegal. Of course you can always carry it to the truck stop and pay $15 per load. But at what moisture content are you going to use as a base line because wetter hay weighs more? Around here the common bale size sold is a 4x5. Some have 5x5 others 4x6's but people will only pay you based on the 4x5 price so if you are going to sell hay here you best roll a 4x5 cause that is what you are going to get paid for. Is it fair? NO. Are people stupid? Yes. So why complicate matters?

 

[John SD]

Any hay I've ever sold I've loaded 3 bales on my flatbed bumper pull and weighed at full size certified scale at the local elevator. In most places there should be a set of certified scales somewhere within a reasonable distance to weigh a representative sample. I consider myself out in the boonies, yet I'm within 20 miles from one scale, 40 from another.

Don't think a pickup and trailer cost $15 to weigh but I haven't weighed any lately. If you're a good customer of the elevator, the weigh job for a few bales here and there might be free. Really better and more useful than another free cap. :nod:

Same elevator weighs lots of semis hauling hay every year, so I assume per ton is still the preferred method of marketing hay. Probably exists, but I'd say hay sales on a per bale basis are somewhat unusual "here".

Can't say I know anyone who uses makes round bales smaller than 5 x6 "here" either. I could, but just don't want to for my own use. Full size bales would be beneficial it I were to sell hay to long distance buyers. Hay truckers have told me they don't like to mess with small bales.

 

[3waycross]

Around here all hay is sold by the ton. The exception is small bales sold for hobbyist horse hay. Last year the bargain hay was $225 a ton delivered!

 

[John SD]

Around here all hay is sold by the ton. The exception is small bales sold for hobbyist horse hay. Last year the bargain hay was $225 a ton delivered!

I'm contemplating hiring my cousin to help me hay. She would be driving my rake tractor. I proposed trading her labor for hay with no money changing hands and she agreed.

For this illustration, I figured her labor @ $13/hr and my hay @ $100/ton. Bales weighing 1300 lbs @ $100/ton = $65 each. So she earns 1 bale for every 5 hours she works. ($13/hr x 5hrs = $65)

I would pay her from the moment she leaves home and drives about 7 miles to my hayfield in her own vehicle until she returns home. Maybe knock off an hour for dinner.

Seems the deal is fair to both of us. Could double or halve the value of labor and hay and the 5hrs = 1 bale would still stand.

 

[TexasBred]

Around here all hay is sold by the ton. The exception is small bales sold for hobbyist horse hay. Last year the bargain hay was $225 a ton delivered!

Only good way to buy and know how much you're getting and a good sample before buying will tell you what you're "pricing". Often gives you a lot of bargaining power.

 

[Anonymous]

Fertilized moderate rolled 4x5 coastal is 75-80.00 right now :shock:

 

[TexasBred]

Fertilized moderate rolled 4x5 coastal is 75-80.00 right now :shock:

Saw a sign this morning advertising Tif 85 for %70 a roll....hay was on site and probably good hay but looked like "I" might have rolled it up. Super soft spongy bales. Sure won't help him sell it.

 

[Oldtimer]

Around here all hay is sold by the ton. The exception is small bales sold for hobbyist horse hay. Last year the bargain hay was $225 a ton delivered!

Same around here- by the ton ... I haven't heard any prices locally of anyone buying or selling-- but there is going to be a lot of hay in northeast Montana...We're at about double the average amount of moisture-- and the only negative is that the continual rains/thunderstorms have slowed getting some of the hay baled ... Today we've had thundershowers going over all day...

Just finished with the river bottom hayland and have more than we've had in many years- and we still have the dryland hay to be put up...
I heard some in the southern part of the state may still be short- because of the long drought they have been in- the hay just didn't come back yet even tho they have received some moisture....

 

[Craig Miller]

Bought and sold by the bale here. 4x5 is the most common. I think its because most people around here dont have the tractor to haldle bigger bales. 25-35 a bale is common. Dad turned some down for 22. In the field and the guy would load for him and let him use his trailer to haul. (My truck of course). The same price and guy he bought from last year and im glad he turned it down. I hauled it to his place and pushed it off the trailer. Had briars all in it and sage mostly.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

4x5's of good hay is 40 to 50$ and there is some decent stuff for around 30$.

 

[ChWorley]

Here in Va we have had a record year for rain 36" since jan 1st, there is so much hay locals farmers are selling good 1st cut hay for $15-20 roll 4 x 5 rolls. You can't hardly even bale it for that. Biggest problem we are having is getting it up. Rains everyday we might as well live in Seattle, but still much better than a drought!

 

[HOSS]

I just bought 100 4x6 tight rolled bales of good mixed grass for $30 per bale. I get a little break since I am a long time customer.

 

[kenny thomas]

Here in Va we have had a record year for rain 36" since jan 1st, there is so much hay locals farmers are selling good 1st cut hay for $15-20 roll 4 x 5 rolls. You can't hardly even bale it for that. Biggest problem we are having is getting it up. Rains everyday we might as well live in Seattle, but still much better than a drought!

Same here, I can buy all I want for $15 for 4X5. Good hay not junk. Way more hay than there is cattle to eat it. I bet by spring I will buy it for $10.

 

[greybeard]

Prices are all over the place here in my county--some dropping--some still trying to get $85 or even $90 for fertilized jiggs here. People that were asking $65/4x5 coastal are now glad to get $45 or $50 for fertilized and delivered coastal--maybe a little less. Go just a little further west, it's not as inexpensive. Go one or 2 counties East, it seems cheaper, if Craigslst is any indication. I don't buy much hay but bought 15 rolls of good clean coastal for $45 ea and 8 rolls of bahia/bermuda mix for $35 ea this last week--delivered.

I see a lot more people buying up hay patches around here and getting into it for the first time than in years past.

on a side note,
Went by the local feedstore and smiled when I saw his sign for small sq bales of coastal--$9.95 each. He hasn't dropped his prices to the local hobby horse folks much at all since the 2011 drought when he was getting $17 for about 45lb bales--and it was junk then. TSC has about 10 rolls of coastal out front with a "$99 each" sign on it. :shock:

 

[hillbilly beef man]

Here in Va we have had a record year for rain 36" since jan 1st, there is so much hay locals farmers are selling good 1st cut hay for $15-20 roll 4 x 5 rolls. You can't hardly even bale it for that. Biggest problem we are having is getting it up. Rains everyday we might as well live in Seattle, but still much better than a drought!

Same here, I can buy all I want for $15 for 4X5. Good hay not junk. Way more hay than there is cattle to eat it. I bet by spring I will buy it for $10.

It is running about the same here in the Tri-cities area. Just saw some 5x4 that looked good on Craigslist for $15. If I had the extra shed space I would like to buy some extra up, but my sheds will be full if I ever get the rest of my first cutting up. :roll:

 

[ChWorley]

I have heard some of the largest farms in my area are sending hay out west via train. I still don't see how you could make any money after all the transportation cost sending bales to Roanoke,va that is an hour drive. But with some of the prices they are having to pay maybe it is true.