Hay: Too Much and Not Enough

[Balin' Wire]

Why don't Co-Op's buy / and sell hay from non-drought areas to drought areas. Rail transport is very inexpensive. Last year I payed $120+ per round bale (trash but it ate). This year I have more than I can use in two years. I am going to sell a couple of hundred bales (tifton-85 good hay) by early winter. I hate to sell it for cost here when I can sell it for 10% profit ( over input and labor costs) to the folks who could really use it via Co-Op or the like? Hurtin' folks could get quality hay for a lot less than I gave last year even adding in rail transportation. Any comments or ideas?

 

[Banjo]

Why not keep it? Or keep most of it. The way the weather is now days. Things can turn on a dime and you could be out of grass in 30 days, just sayin. Unless you are in the business of selling hay.
Around here, farmers always seem to want to sell some excess hay in the spring then when it turns off dry they wish they had kept it. I'm sure your situation is different than mine, I don't roll anymore than i have to and so far I haven't needed anymore than I have put up. But that's just me.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

This is just a thought, and it's a thought that's catching on here in our area. NOT DEALING W/ COMMERCIAL CO-OPs. If you're on FB, make your own page: i.e., your county or your region's name + EVERYTHING FARM or same county/region name + EVERYTHING FORAGE. We are doing that here now, selling everything from eggs to hay to cherries to farm equip. (One of the local FB sites is: ELLENSBURG FARM EXCHANGE.) Just my :2cents: worth.

 

[regolith]

Got a phone number in this country that puts together those who have and those who need - started in '07 I think, when part of the East Coast had to destock to about 30%, then the droughts just kept on coming so I guess the feed Hotline just kept on going.
There was a history of people rallying round to send hay/take in cows temporarily during drought/flood/disaster but the '08 drought might've just about finished that because it covered the majority of the country.

 

[crimsoncrazy]

We have more hay now then we have ever had at this time of year. We have about a year and a half supply. After last year we are going to keep as much as we can stockpiled.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

I'm hauling hay -- good as I can get for decent price, and as much as we can store. We're already good through winter, but I'm stock-piling the hay pantry.

 

[bigbull338]

if i was you i would not sell any hay at all.id carry it over to the next year no q.my cousins grandson was selling 5 by 6 bales for $30 a bale.well needless to say his grandpa would rollover in his grave.as he would hold that hay an sell it for $70 a bale.

 

[calfbuyer]

We already have a 2 year supply of hay and it looks like we are going to get one more cutting. My dad and I always argued over selling hay or not. Year before last we had plenty of hay and dad wanted to sell. (he wanted to get his fertilizer and baling cost back) We sold 50 bales and ended up selling most of our cows because of it (would have come in handy last summer in the drought) We will NEVER make this mistake again. I will stack my hay lots as full as i can get them, then i might sell a few bales only to family or friends.

 

[Kingfisher]

We already have a 2 year supply of hay and it looks like we are going to get one more cutting. My dad and I always argued over selling hay or not. Year before last we had plenty of hay and dad wanted to sell. (he wanted to get his fertilizer and baling cost back) We sold 50 bales and ended up selling most of our cows because of it (would have come in handy last summer in the drought) We will NEVER make this mistake again. I will stack my hay lots as full as i can get them, then i might sell a few bales only to family or friends.

Did you get any rain? Will you make a third cut? Thanks in advance.

 

[calfbuyer]

Last rain we got was probably the same rain that you got a couple weeks ago, about 2 inches around here (San Saba). This will be our second cut, we need one more good rain to make it though.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Just hauled in a few more ton of alf/grass mix. I think we're done. Running out of places to store it under cover/dry. Should be able to get through winter and well beyond.