hay...

[smart_slider]

quick question. is hay scarce over the entire US? i know that it sure is here! there is a guy selling round bales for 100$ and up! in SC(i've got a friend there) she said that the square bales are around 3-5$ a bale! it is crazy!
ss

 

[Mike Franklin]

Square bales here run from $7.50 to $10 each. Round bales are from $95 to $115. There are hay brokers sitting on hay until later in the winter. Part of the problem is transport costs. I found hay in East Texas as cheap as $50 a RB but it cost $500 to get an 18 wheeler load to my area. That with the loading and unloading costs means you don't save a penny. The dang Railroad will only transport in boxcars which really drives up loading and unloading costs.

 

[born2run]

We had a dry summer and I'm still paying only $2/bale. I've never had to pay what the western US or south does for hay...highest is $2.25 for a 50 lb. bale.

 

[Mike Franklin]

Most years I can buy a square bale for $2 in the field and $25 to $30 for a RB. We're in a drought this year. In the past 6 months I can only remember 1 time it rained more than an inch at one time. About every 5 years we go through a dry spell. We have rain in the forecast for the next 3 days. There's a lot of praying going on in South Texas right now. I know people sitting on 2 year old foals that they can't turn. The cattle raisers are down to their breeders. The only relief is that beef is still selling at a good price and land is priced high for those selling out.

 

[Alan]

Square bales here are 2 to 3 dollars per bale, I don't feed round so I don't know the price. But I think hay is short here also this year also. I'm low enough I'm starting to look and this year no one has an ad in the papers yet, I think they are setting on it for another month or two. I haven't tried calling past connections yet.

Alan

 

[smart_slider]

thanx... i know how bad some of you guys have it off... we get lucky, we have brome hay out here. we have a cattle guy come 'farm' it for us, and he takes a share for his cattle... thanx again!
ss

 

[holly heifer]

I pay $3.50 per small bale for good grass with a little alfalfa
in it. Rounds go for $40.00. My hay bill per year is about
$4,000. :oops:

 

[Alan]

I pay $3.50 per small bale for good grass with a little alfalfa
in it. Rounds go for $40.00. My hay bill per year is about
$4,000. :oops:

Man I thought my hay bill was high for wintering 14 cows and 7 horses as well and my wifes 12 Boar Goats. Oh, I forgot chicken bedding (they get a couple of bales a year).

I should double, check I think it's more like $2000, it's one of those thing I don't really think I want to know. The life of a hobby guy. :D

Alan

 

[smart_slider]

wow!! holy mackeral! in that case, we are really lucky! thanx u guys...
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[vs_cattle]

Here In California Oats Can Run You From 3-7 And Alfalfa 8-12 Currently In My Region

 

[Waymoore]

I have noticed more of the big square bales around here this year the 4'X5'X8 ' weighing@ 1300 -1600 lbs are going for 125. I new they used theses on the big outfits up north for a while but I dont know if they are getting more popular here or if thats all they can get.

 

[smart_slider]

thanx u guys!
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[Alan]

Hay out here is no almost impossible to find, except at the feed stores, and at their inflated prices. I have about 2 weeks worth of hay left and should be able to turn the cows on pasture in about 2 weeks. I'll spend some time in the next two weeks finding some hay, hopefully at the local hay export company.

Hope the hay situation is better next year.

Alan

 

[smart_slider]

hope it lasts alan, and i sure hope that the moisture round here keeps up...but not too much! as i wrote earlier, we get some round bales and square bales every year for the 10 horses we have on our property, anyway, thanx for all the replies
ss