frenchie
Well-known member
Any opinons either way.
Making hay vs buying it.
- Thread starter frenchie
- Start date
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I figured my cost at 24 dollars a bale this year. Really thought I went overboard. Now that it is selling for 60 to 100 per not so sure. got some new locks as I am not a seller. My hay is coastal. i am looking into some alphalpha(sp) to purchase. I don't know. Bulls growing fine on coastal. But thats were I went overboard on my coastal. the extra 50 lbs fert. per acre.
Scotty
Scotty
frenchie
Well-known member
Scotty":8809hn7e said:
How heavy a bale?
A
Anonymous
I know it varies from region to region but I had figured my cost to be $47.50 per 1200 -1400 lb. bale about 2 two years ago. Quit baling and started feeding bulk feeds. Cows are doing good and pocket book even better. I realize you can't do this in all areas but I just stockpile the grass in the pasture and bulk feed. Here I can buy hay for 15.00 to 20.00 a bale if needed. Still cheaper than baling my own.
little creek
Well-known member
I have 60 ac. of alicia bermuda grass. Should I fert., bale, or just let a starter herd graze, then block them off a few ac. and let it grow for the winter next year.
little creek":1c8upvx8 said:
Thats really a hard question. do you already have the equiment to bale it? i buy my hay durning the cutting season. i buy 15 bales every cut. the guy sells it to then for $15 a roll. they weight between 2000-2200lbs. you really save money buying in the off season. i dont have no overstock, i'll use all 45 bales thru the late fall early spring. it'll be pretty much all gone by the time my first bushhog. i dont let my grass get over 6" tall. This works for me you have to decide if it'll work for you.
oh, something you might want to look into this guys brother told me he'd sell me bales for $12 durning the cutting season if i used my trailer and truck to help him move the hay out of the field and into his barn. I'm thinking about taking him up on it. I figure my gas and all i might have $13? in a bale of hay.
little creek
Well-known member
No hay equipment, just a tractor, I will only have 10 or 20 young cows to start. How many bales per month will each one eat. If they all weigh around 900lbs. I'm green on this business. I just love this farm life and the people in this business.
Bill Elliott
Well-known member
LIttle creek--
I'm fairly new also. I only have 5 bred-back cows and one yearling heifer. I go through one large roll (1800lbs) of bahia hay every 10 days. I supplement with 15lbs of range cubes and they free graze on 10A (although this time of year not much to munch). This is consistent with last year..one roll every 10 days. I buy my hay from a neighbor for $20/roll. He lets me use his tractor to move the rolls. For my operation, it makes all the sense in the world to buy hay. Best of luck...cheers, Bill
I'm fairly new also. I only have 5 bred-back cows and one yearling heifer. I go through one large roll (1800lbs) of bahia hay every 10 days. I supplement with 15lbs of range cubes and they free graze on 10A (although this time of year not much to munch). This is consistent with last year..one roll every 10 days. I buy my hay from a neighbor for $20/roll. He lets me use his tractor to move the rolls. For my operation, it makes all the sense in the world to buy hay. Best of luck...cheers, Bill
frenchie
Well-known member
lcupit":351v4kps said:
Thats pretty much the story here only 1 of the last 10 yrs has seen high priced hay in this region. Hay usually sells for around $50-$60 a ton.This year a lot less..When I factor in my fuel , repairs,twine, payments on a decent line of equipment.I,m beginning to believe I would be better off to sell all my equipment or maybe just keep an old loader tractor.Buy all my hay and run twice as many cows. Let someone else pay for the heavy metal.
In my neck of the woods i see alot of people buy expensive equipment and spend abunch of time on the haying end of it. IF they figure in the depreciation, value of time, fuel, and all the other costs they would be better off either selling their equipment and hiring it done or going big time custom to spread the machinery cost over more acres. California is pretty good at using equipment, they buy a machine and they use the heck out of it 24/7 till the season is over. Always impressed me.
frenchie":1lnrcxzn said:
Well, I am forced to agree with you frenchie - until the hay is unavailable, or the price goes up.
It is always nice to have a stockpile somewhere.
In fact unless cattle prices get better, there is little hope for the industry in Canada as a whole anyways - do you know a pile of folks who bought new equipment lately?
There are some who will always hang in there - but overall it is still a shambles.
Hay - if available in your field and the custom operator who will truly come when required / asked = a great combination.
Factor in your time, fuel, repairs, agravation and some no kidding real free time with the family - well how can a person go wrong.
I am probably going to switch over to direct purchase of a good portion if the price can stay under 24 bucks a bale stacked in the yard. Custom some of my own and I will do up some as well - but far less than before.
Stay well,
Bez!
frenchie
Well-known member
Bez!":15smt33u said:
People get hung up on this got to have hay thing sometimes.I have fed a lot of straw and a little grain some winters . I,m sure you have too :lol: I think the goal would be to maintain a 2 yr supply of feed and to make use of the resourses around us.. I figure it costs me around 54.00 a ton to make hay.and i still have to get it home.
Bez!":15smt33u said:
I don,t know too many... There in comes my problem .I need to seriously upgrade my equipment If I want to continue down this same road of production....its either grab the bull by the horns, get the equipment I need and go for maximum tonnage.
or look at other options. Bez!":15smt33u said:
Maybe ..can likely cost as much or more than doing it yourself.
and this really is about costs..
little creek
Well-known member
Frenchie, I'm sorry I ask another question within your question about my problem. I thought I was posting a new topic. The advice in this forum is a great help to a beginner like me.
Little Creek
Little Creek
frenchie
Well-known member
little creek":2omwb7fv said:
No big deal..Just remember it was free advice right or wrong :lol:
johndeerefarmer
Well-known member
I bale my own because I know what I am getting. I apply 100 lbs of nitrogen at each cutting and can get 12-14% protein from my coastal.
If you buy and don't check protein you are probably just buying roughage.
If you buy and don't check protein you are probably just buying roughage.
frenchie
Well-known member
johndeerefarmer":g6kqjh05 said:
This is one of tons of ads around...
PORCUPINE PLAIN ALFALFA round heavy 5x6 hard core, early, 17% protein, TDN 46% and 50%, full analysis, $20 and $25. 306-764-2486, Prince Albert, Sask.
johndeerefarmer
Well-known member
You must have real farmers up there. :lol:
Down here in the south, guys bale the sides of the road, johnson grass that is 7' high and grass hay that has not been fertilized and is at 8 weeks of maturity. They think just because it's green it's good.
I have never saw anyone around here advertise protien content.
If I could find hay as good as mine and affordable I would buy it.
Down here in the south, guys bale the sides of the road, johnson grass that is 7' high and grass hay that has not been fertilized and is at 8 weeks of maturity. They think just because it's green it's good.
I have never saw anyone around here advertise protien content.
If I could find hay as good as mine and affordable I would buy it.
frenchie
Well-known member
johndeerefarmer":2e3e7lsx said:
Yeah I know a few guys like that too. They don,t last too long up here. :lol:
cypressfarms
Well-known member
little creek":3g78wc8h said:
60 acres seems like a lot to have in hay. We have a parcel of land over here, about 15 acres, of alicia and it would be too expensive to fence in and get water in., so it's used as a hay field. One of the local guys who bales and sells to people, will come and bale it for free, and give us half. This works well for both. We have to pay for the fertilizer, but when you calculate it, it's pretty cheap hay. In usual years that 15 acre plot will give us enough hay to winter 60 head (we normally put up 3 bales per cow). That's with our half, but this year with the lack of rains, I ran a little short because my dad hogged most of it (he tells it a little different ;-) ).
On last note about protein content. LSU did a study here in LA and found that our grass here reaches it's highest protein content at 28 days of growing; so you really need to cut hay about every 28 days to maintain high protein content. This holds true for all bermuda. Not sure about other states and their grasses, but letting the grasss grow longer decreases the protein content dramatically.
MandTconstruct
Member
I'm sure you have other income other than from ten cows. You may want to talk to your cpa about the tax advantages of buying equipment to bale your own. Sometimes that can save you in the long run if you can swallow it in the beginning.
