How much to custom bale

[icandoit]

It's been about 3 weeks since I've been able to get to my back pasture which I call the "Hay Patch", about 25 acres. Lord almighty, the Jiggs are about 2 ft tall and need to be cut and baled, I believe. So I call one of my Mentors and he tells me that he had been back there checking on my cows while we gone to the hospital and said that it definately needs to be baled. So I ask him how much would a custom baler do it for( I say custom because not a lot of balers will come out for a measley 25 acres). He says that about $25.00 PER round bale. I said "Billy, I don't have a money tree and I'm a small operation". Like a good Texan, he says "You have to get that stuff baled so new growth can come in and your cows will never graze that down., (we've had so much rain in this area that the cows REALLY can't keep up. In a quandry. So what's my blasted question? Well, ....Does $25.00 sound kind of expensive to you guys?

Long Winded and anticipating a round of answers.

Dick

 

[Nowland Farms]

Dick,

That seem high to me, but I'm use to 2 local farmers who have spoiled me by cutting teddering, raking and baleing. This year one charged me $13 per 5x4 roll, Last year the other one charges me $12.

They do a good job and as long as I can get it done when I want it cut at these rates, it ain't worth me doing it myself.

I realise that these rates are about $5 lower per bale that what most folks are paying.

 

[cowboy44]

$23 to $25 is the going rate in Central Texas to custom bale. talked to a man today who is just now doing his first cutting due to wet weather and selling it for $45 a bale, looks like it would be just a filler at this age it is coastal

 

[pbnewbie]

paid $22/round bale NE of McKinney, Texas

 

[sizmic]

apperently i need to move to Texas and start baling. $10 here and people choke.

Sizmic

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

I think $25 a bale is fair if you consider what buying decent hay would cost. Paid $68 a bale last year and $38 a bale the year before delivered.

 

[houstoncutter]

It's been about 3 weeks since I've been able to get to my back pasture which I call the "Hay Patch", about 25 acres. Lord almighty, the Jiggs are about 2 ft tall and need to be cut and baled, I believe. So I call one of my Mentors and he tells me that he had been back there checking on my cows while we gone to the hospital and said that it definately needs to be baled. So I ask him how much would a custom baler do it for( I say custom because not a lot of balers will come out for a measley 25 acres). He says that about $25.00 PER round bale. I said "Billy, I don't have a money tree and I'm a small operation". Like a good Texan, he says "You have to get that stuff baled so new growth can come in and your cows will never graze that down., (we've had so much rain in this area that the cows REALLY can't keep up. In a quandry. So what's my blasted question? Well, ....Does $25.00 sound kind of expensive to you guys?

Long Winded and anticipating a round of answers.

Dick[/quo


Remember one thing about that Jiggs patch...It is now a filler, thats it, if you doubt that cut a sample send it to Texas A.M.... In about 5 days you will find out that it only test at about 5% CP if your lucky..... If you take a sample be sure and send in some of that dying tan grass at the roots, cause when you bale it that is gonna be baled as well. I know this as I sent in a sample the other day of a patch that had been baled first of June, and couldnt get back on it since. It had 350 pounds of fertilizer on it...... Wish I had a better answer for you. Good luck

 

[C HOLLAND]

I paid $14.00 per roll, 4.5x5 rolls and have been quoted as high as 20 for 5x6 rolls. Ask him if he will cut on halves and it will be free then, that might get you the hay and not cost you anymore out of pocket, a good solution if you can do with half the hay.

My problem is the small amount I have to cut, the only way I get it cut is when they are coming by my place from some other fields they cut.

This year I have had plenty of offers to cut on halves and plan to do that next year with the rye hay and get my bahia pastures cut at least 1 time.

 

[kscowboy]

the above post is the best solution , i started looking for someone to bale on shares early this year , in may , found two , one actually showed up , and i found a few neighbors who wanted small acreages done and didn't want the hay so we got that for free. Ended up getting getting a lot of hay with no outlay and have nice clean pastures.

Start looking early though , last year I waited too long and had to mow it all. Seems only to make sense for big balers also , real hard to find anyone to do small bales unless you have super clean , fertilized hay fields which I don't.

 

[bigbull338]

i guess im tighter than bark on a tree when it comes to baling hay.but the truth is around here they charge $20 to $25 a bale to cut rake an bale.but the truth is theres no cheap custom balers around.

 

[icandoit]

Thanks for the responses. I found a guy that will do it on halves. I'll let you know how much we actually get of that 25 acres.

Thanks Again
Dick

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Ican...., I had a few acres cut, raked and baled about a month and a half ago. Cost me $16/acre to cut and $16/bale to rake and bale it using twine. $19/bale for net wrap.

Three weeks ago I was baling my own hay and the baler broke. Had to beg a feller who was in the area to stop by and wrap up the windrows already on the ground. He charged me $20/bale using twine but it's OK - I really couldn't afford to let all that hay go to waste. Sometimes they got you over the barrel.

I think there's only a couple of good reasons for having your own, reliable, equipment and this is one of them.

Good luck on getting your hay done up.

 

[bgm]

Around here they charge $18.50 - 25.00 per bale. That's net wrapped.

 

[TheBullLady]

We just had 80 acres cut and baled.. cost $19 a bale.

 

[fourstates]

Shoot, there are ads in the local paper selling 4x5 rolls of hay for $15. People here are bush hogging their hay. I don't know how any one could cover the cost of their equipment and expenses to do any custom baling here, and who would risk, halves, unless, you had no hay of your own.

Last year, no hay, this year you can't give it away.

Supply and demand.

 

[novatech]

Shoot, there are ads in the local paper selling 4x5 rolls of hay for $15. People here are bush hogging their hay. I don't know how any one could cover the cost of their equipment and expenses to do any custom baling here, and who would risk, halves, unless, you had no hay of your own.

Last year, no hay, this year you can't give it away.

Supply and demand.

Same around here. My barn is full of small squares that I can't get rid of. My best hay has not been cut. Guess I will have to round bale and leave outside under tarp.
$18 round bale custom balers.Tifton selling for $35- $45 per bale. Small squares $2.50 in the field if you can find a buyer.

 

[pbnewbie]

I was reading yesterday that properly stored hay can last for more than one year. It was off an A&M site, I think.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Shoot, there are ads in the local paper selling 4x5 rolls of hay for $15. People here are bush hogging their hay. I don't know how any one could cover the cost of their equipment and expenses to do any custom baling here, and who would risk, halves, unless, you had no hay of your own.

Last year, no hay, this year you can't give it away.

Supply and demand.

I agree with you in principal. Cost of haying equipment is very high. I get a kick out of folks wanting to get into the hay business when the price of hay is $90/bale like last year in Texas. Then along comes a good, wet year and the price falls like a rock and you can't give it away. In the mean time you're making bank notes on $100K worth of new equipment and no income.

There's been a lot of discussion here about the pro's and con's of owning hay equipment or having it baled or simply buying the hay. Each scenario has it's own merits and draw backs and it's a very personal, economic decision we all have to make. I have stated several times that there is only a couple of reasons for having your own equipment and one of them is you get to bale when YOU need to bale, IMO.

In my case, I had a custom baler put some bales up (prices stated above) because I didn't have the time to do it myself. He did not bale all my hay because it wasn't all ready at the same time. When my coastal field is ready the custom baler is now some 500 acres behind schedule because of the rain. That puts me at the bottom of the list with my field needing to be cut now. So what do you do????

 

[ALX.]

He charged me $20/bale using twine but it's OK - I really couldn't afford to let all that hay go to waste. Sometimes they got you over the barrel.

And here's me thinkin you were gonna call him a godsend , cause in a short hay year I sure would have.

 

[ALX.]

I was reading yesterday that properly stored hay can last for more than one year. It was off an A&M site, I think.

Try 3 or 4 or more, depends on end use.