Hay

[SRBeef]

I don't have but about thirty head and I'm going to buy a used baler and either a second side delivery rake or a wheel rake for my own use. Already tired of waiting on a custom baler to finish his, then his primary big count customers before he can do mine. Hay for sale is either baled crp junk or priced as horse hay, for fescue

Making hay also helps in managing pastures. Grass growth never quite matches herd needs. Either too much or too little grass.

Bale it and put it in a hay shed or hire it inline wrapped when too much grass. Feed it in a sacrifice area when not enough grass rather than destroying pastures. I bought hay equipment after paying $225 for a round bale of ditch hay in the late spring of 2013 after the drought of 2012 and I ran out of fall purchased hay in the spring just at calving time. I was lucky to find any hay. Don't want to ever go through that again.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I don't have but about thirty head and I'm going to buy a used baler and either a second side delivery rake or a wheel rake for my own use. Already tired of waiting on a custom baler to finish his, then his primary big count customers before he can do mine. Hay for sale is either baled crp junk or priced as horse hay, for fescue

Making hay also helps in managing pastures. Grass growth never quite matches herd needs. Either too much or too little grass.

Bale it and put it in a hay shed or hire it inline wrapped when too much grass. Feed it in a sacrifice area when not enough grass rather than destroying pastures. I bought hay equipment after paying $225 for a round bale of ditch hay in the late spring of 2013 after the drought of 2012 and I ran out of fall purchased hay in the spring just at calving time. I was lucky to find any hay. Don't want to ever go through that again.

Hello SRBeef, nice to read ya. How you doing?

 

[Brute 23]

I despise hay and every thing that goes with it. It's one of the most risky parts of the whole business and most expensive. We are trying to add most of our hay fields to the grazing rotation and get by with the absolute minimum amount of hay. I'd rather buy feed and lock that cost in than roll the dice on hay every year.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have a hard time pencilling that out not counting the lost grazing. Other than perhaps not getting gouged on hay prices in a drought year. What do you think?

True unless you love wrenching.
An issue that concerns many.
I think you need to start from a profit per acre goal, rather than focusing on potential problems. Profit per acre will move you towards higher stocking capacity with a mix that includes yearlings.
Owning a round baler will not prevent a drought. So you need a drought plan, but not a drought focus. Plans may include destocking early starting with yearlings, having improved pasture containing drought resistant plantings, having cheap hay under tarp, having embryos in the tank, going on vacation...

 

[sackshowcattle]

I think location and how much work you want to put into it determines if there is value in it. I put up small squares of alfalfa. Cows get top and bottom bales from the stacks and the balance in first cutting. Its a pivot so we get 3 or 4 cuttings a year. If you live down south were this is minimal winter feeding it wouldn't be much value. If your rolling round bales those are still cheap here currently. If you live here in the West with all the cattle coming out of the mountains in the winter and feed for 6 months there is value in it. I adveraged around 4 bucks a bale on small squares this year with about 1500 more bales to sale this year of the 6000 I had to sale after my supply for the cattle was filled. So to me it is very profitable the sale hay paid all the cost turned a profit plus supplied my cattle with all winter feed. One of my uncle's use to say if your going to be in the hay business you have to have cows cause you will have good hay that picky horse people will refuse to feed.

 

[TexasBred]

I think location and how much work you want to put into it determines if there is value in it. I put up small squares of alfalfa. Cows get top and bottom bales from the stacks and the balance in first cutting. Its a pivot so we get 3 or 4 cuttings a year. If you live down south were this is minimal winter feeding it wouldn't be much value. If your rolling round bales those are still cheap here currently. If you live here in the West with all the cattle coming out of the mountains in the winter and feed for 6 months there is value in it. I adveraged around 4 bucks a bale on small squares this year with about 1500 more bales to sale this year of the 6000 I had to sale after my supply for the cattle was filled. So to me it is very profitable the sale hay paid all the cost turned a profit plus supplied my cattle with all winter feed. One of my uncle's use to say if your going to be in the hay business you have to have cows cause you will have good hay that picky horse people will refuse to feed.

There is some truth in that statement but if you're going to "tell me" it's good hay you better be able to show me it's good hay as with a good hay test that will prove that just because it looks like shyt it's really good hay. ;-) I never buy hay without a test. I pull the sample, I pay for the test, but allow you to mail the sample and have results returned directly to you.

 

[Dave]

I sold my hay equipment in 1998. Since then I have bought better hay then I could make for less money every year but one. I like not spending my summer doing hay. Instead I can do something important like go fishing.

 

[skyhightree1]

Why does everybody get into baling their own hay from an economic standpoint? A lot of operations I know have over $100k tied up in hay equipment for 100 cows and may custom bale some. I have a hard time pencilling that out not counting the lost grazing. Other than perhaps not getting gouged on hay prices in a drought year. What do you think?

All of my hay equipment is old and is slow… I do like cutting my own hay when stuff isn't breaking that is.. Some farmers just simply enjoy cutting hay as much as they enjoy their cattle. I didn't cut for a year and missed it and got a chance to cut last year but my hay is cut on 50/50 someone else does most of the haying I help some. I must say I really like not having to cut hay sometimes and other times I miss it. Realistically I didn't want to invest in all new or like new haying equipment so I made a deal with someone.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I sold my hay equipment in 1998. Since then I have bought better hay then I could make for less money every year but one. I like not spending my summer doing hay. Instead I can do something important like go fishing.

Sounds good. I hope your suppliers deliver.

Had a neighbor who worked in town, ran cows, and bought all his hay. Ended up selling the cows because he spent fall weekends hauling hay rather than bow hunting. :nod:

 

[FiveOaksFarmGA]

I think location and how much work you want to put into it determines if there is value in it. I put up small squares of alfalfa. Cows get top and bottom bales from the stacks and the balance in first cutting. Its a pivot so we get 3 or 4 cuttings a year. If you live down south were this is minimal winter feeding it wouldn't be much value. If your rolling round bales those are still cheap here currently. If you live here in the West with all the cattle coming out of the mountains in the winter and feed for 6 months there is value in it. I adveraged around 4 bucks a bale on small squares this year with about 1500 more bales to sale this year of the 6000 I had to sale after my supply for the cattle was filled. So to me it is very profitable the sale hay paid all the cost turned a profit plus supplied my cattle with all winter feed. One of my uncle's use to say if your going to be in the hay business you have to have cows cause you will have good hay that picky horse people will refuse to feed.

There is some truth in that statement but if you're going to "tell me" it's good hay you better be able to show me it's good hay as with a good hay test that will prove that just because it looks like shyt it's really good hay. ;-) I never buy hay without a test. I pull the sample, I pay for the test, but allow you to mail the sample and have results returned directly to you.

How you "pull" that sample can alter the outcome of the test. Selling hay to some people is a pain. There are more buyers than sellers. You wouldn't pull one of mine. I'd show you the test (taken with a hay core sampler the proper way), your decision after that. Would you let someone come on your farm and do that? I think not. Seems rather insulting to me, after I've spent the time and money to prove the quality, after spending the time and money to get the quality.

 

[M.Magis]

Being insulted because someone wants to have their own test completed would be like the guy selling a car getting insulted because a potential buyer wanted his mechanic to check it out. As a buyer, I'd find someone else to buy from.

 

[TexasBred]

How you "pull" that sample can alter the outcome of the test. Selling hay to some people is a pain. There are more buyers than sellers. You wouldn't pull one of mine. I'd show you the test (taken with a hay core sampler the proper way), your decision after that. Would you let someone come on your farm and do that? I think not. Seems rather insulting to me, after I've spent the time and money to prove the quality, after spending the time and money to get the quality.

Hay sampling is not a highly sophisticated process. Just make sure you get a "representative" sample of the hay in question and submit it to a reputable lab. I'd pull one on yours or never buy hay from you. Seen too many hay jockies use one test result for every bale or roll of hay they have for sale. If it offends you or you consider it an insult then you probably have something you're not wanting me to know about the hay. As I said previously.....you can tell me how good it is all day long but in the end you must show me it's just as good as you say it is and the only honest way to do this is have the hay tested. What say I let you do the sampling and mailing?? I'll pay you what it's worth !!!!

 

[M-5]

How you "pull" that sample can alter the outcome of the test. Selling hay to some people is a pain. There are more buyers than sellers. You wouldn't pull one of mine. I'd show you the test (taken with a hay core sampler the proper way), your decision after that. Would you let someone come on your farm and do that? I think not. Seems rather insulting to me, after I've spent the time and money to prove the quality, after spending the time and money to get the quality.

Hay sampling is not a highly sophisticated process. Just make sure you get a "representative" sample of the hay in question and submit it to a reputable lab. I'd pull one on yours or never buy hay from you. Seen too many hay jockies use one test result for every bale or roll of hay they have for sale. If it offends you or you consider it an insult then you probably have something you're not wanting me to know about the hay. As I said previously.....you can tell me how good it is all day long but in the end you must show me it's just as good as you say it is and the only honest way to do this is have the hay tested. What say I let you do the sampling and mailing?? I'll pay you what it's worth !!!!

a lot of them could be interchanged with mule traders , farriers , horse breeders, brick masons and roofers . I know a bunch and would not trust them any further than I can throw em

 

[FiveOaksFarmGA]

Of course I know there is crap hay being sold as "great hay," but I typically don't need a hay test to spot it.

 

[FiveOaksFarmGA]

How you "pull" that sample can alter the outcome of the test. Selling hay to some people is a pain. There are more buyers than sellers. You wouldn't pull one of mine. I'd show you the test (taken with a hay core sampler the proper way), your decision after that. Would you let someone come on your farm and do that? I think not. Seems rather insulting to me, after I've spent the time and money to prove the quality, after spending the time and money to get the quality.

Hay sampling is not a highly sophisticated process. Just make sure you get a "representative" sample of the hay in question and submit it to a reputable lab. I'd pull one on yours or never buy hay from you. Seen too many hay jockies use one test result for every bale or roll of hay they have for sale. If it offends you or you consider it an insult then you probably have something you're not wanting me to know about the hay. As I said previously.....you can tell me how good it is all day long but in the end you must show me it's just as good as you say it is and the only honest way to do this is have the hay tested. What say I let you do the sampling and mailing?? I'll pay you what it's worth !!!!

Mine is tested, for my customer's comfort, not mine. I'm just saying no one is going to come on the farm and demand this or that with our process. Too many buyers to put up with that. Hay buyers are a weird bunch sometimes (including myself at times). It's borderline "horsey people" behavior and one of the prime reasons a lot of people I know got out of square bales, and a primary reason why I refuse to square bale. More $ in square bales, but the headaches are astronomical, and not worth it. I make hay for me, and sell what I don't plan to use. I wouldn't feed crap hay to my animals, and I wouldn't expect you to either.

 

[TexasBred]

Then you would have zero problem with me pulling my own sample and sending it to the lab of my choice.....then we can discuss what it's worth.

 

[FiveOaksFarmGA]

I had a surplus of 4 bales this year, because the grass grew about 2 weeks earlier than I had expected green up. Most is sold before it's even cut.

 

[Dave]

I sold my hay equipment in 1998. Since then I have bought better hay then I could make for less money every year but one. I like not spending my summer doing hay. Instead I can do something important like go fishing.

Sounds good. I hope your suppliers deliver.

Had a neighbor who worked in town, ran cows, and bought all his hay. Ended up selling the cows because he spent fall weekends hauling hay rather than bow hunting. :nod:

There is thousands of acres of irrigated hay in Washington. Truck loads going up the freeway a couple miles from me every day. A phone call or two and I can have more hay than I would ever need delivered to my door. This year alfalfa was $125 a ton delivered, bent grass straw was $80 a ton. About 28-29 ton per load.

 

[Craig Miller]

I thought we needed to bale to have cows. Got a cheap baler and rake. I can spend a solid week cutting, raking, baling. At the end of the year I'm able to write off fuel costs only on my taxes. I can buy the same amount of hay. Haul it in a couple days time. Then write off fuel costs and hay cost on taxes. My time is worth something. Seems like I'd be better off to invest in a bigger barn. Buy hay year round when I can find good hay at good prices and stack it away in the barn. You could also build up a little stock pile for droughts. Does anybody do it that way?

 

[jkwilson]

I thought we needed to bale to have cows. Got a cheap baler and rake. I can spend a solid week cutting, raking, baling. At the end of the year I'm able to write off fuel costs only on my taxes. I can buy the same amount of hay. Haul it in a couple days time. Then write off fuel costs and hay cost on taxes. My time is worth something. Seems like I'd be better off to invest in a bigger barn. Buy hay year round when I can find good hay at good prices and stack it away in the barn. You could also build up a little stock pile for droughts. Does anybody do it that way?

Yep. And never worry about the weather. Rain during hay season just makes my grass grow faster.

Seems like the market doesn't include the risk of bad weather or bad prices for hay producers. I worry too much and I've laid awake half the night when I had hay down trying to figure out what time the breeze and sun would get the dew dried and if I had time to get it all raked and baled before rain rolled in later in the day.