P.O.S. Hay Thieves!!

[Kathie in Thorp]

In Jan., we bought 8 ton of some nice hay at a good price from a local grower, but were waiting to haul it until mud and muck had dried up at his hay barn and at our barn. Hubby went out with hard-bodies to haul it this morning; called ahead to let the guy know he was on the way. Seller called him back a bit later, from his hay barn, and said someone had apparently come in over the last couple of weeks and filched 3 or 4 ton of it. He'll make it right -- not worried about that. Just pyssed that half our stack is gone when hay prices are so frk'n high around here.

 

[Ouachita]

A thief ranks right there with the filth that do awful things to women and children.

 

[greybeard]

A thief ranks right there with the filth that do awful things to women and children.

Sometimes, I'm not sure which of those is worse--but kid molesters steal innocence so I guess they are just a different kind of thief too.

 

[Caustic Burno]

In Jan., we bought 8 ton of some nice hay at a good price from a local grower, but were waiting to haul it until mud and muck had dried up at his hay barn and at our barn. Hubby went out with hard-bodies to haul it this morning; called ahead to let the guy know he was on the way. Seller called him back a bit later, from his hay barn, and said someone had apparently come in over the last couple of weeks and filched 3 or 4 ton of it. He'll make it right -- not worried about that. Just pyssed that half our stack is gone when hay prices are so frk'n high around here.

You were lucky they didn't get it all and you can still get hay.
You can bet it is one of his good neighbor's that know's his goin on's.
Two years ago here you couldn't get a bale here if you wanted one.

 

[Alan]

Same thing happened this last fall here. I called one of my regular suppliers to buy hay, he said he had his whole barn emptied out by thieves. He said he thinks was a young guy he had considered to be a good honest guy. It cost him over 11k just to put up the hay and he only sold a few ton before it vanished.

 

[skyhightree1]

Thieves need a good doze of 00 buckshot.

 

[ga.prime]

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

We wound up with just over 5 ton -- so not quite as bad as it could have been. Hubby and helpers were sick and tired of that 5 ton by the end of the day, since one of the hay elevators wouldn't start, and the other wouldn't keep running. They had to hand-move just about every bale.

 

[Anonymous]

Squares?

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Squares?

Hook, about 125 lb. bales, 3-tie -- in a building you can't get a meaningful moving machine into, save for elevators. So they hand loaded right off the stack, then had to off-load and stack from the trailer, which via the configuration of our barn, you can't back up to the stack area. Had to be off-loaded and moved/stacked about 25 feet.

 

[dun]

Squares?

Hook, about 125 lb. bales, 3-tie -- in a building you can't get a meaningful moving machine into, save for elevators. So they hand loaded right off the stack, then had to off-load and stack from the trailer, which via the configuration of our barn, you can't back up to the stack area. Had to be off-loaded and moved/stacked about 25 feet.

Many yearsago I had to hand stack 32 tons of those 125 bales in a building that ony had a walk through door. Did it in 3 nights after work. Shortly after that I had to start having injections in my back and shoulders. It was almost as ugly getting them out to feed as it had been getting them in there.

 

[Alan]

I use to feed 3 strand wire bales of alfala that were around 125 lbs on my uncles dairy. Now I won't buy anything heavier than 70 or 80 and prefer 60 lb squares. Most around here aim for 60 lb squares, same price for a ton.

 

[highgrit]

I did the square bale thing when I was young. Had horses to. Nowadays nothing but 4x5 or bigger rolls. You folks must have good backs.

 

[Tom in TN]

Okay, I admit that I'm a weenie. I actually shoot for 45 - 50 lb. bales. I handle everything by myself, and I would be completely unable to deal with 125 lb. bales. I can't imagine lifting, lugging, and stacking bales like that.

Those are some strong men.

Tom in TN

 

[danl]

Are the hay thieves just stealing square bales, or do they get round ones too. It seems like round ones would be impossible.

But then I can't imagine stealing the square ones either.

 

[Alan]

Are the hay thieves just stealing square bales, or do they get round ones too. It seems like round ones would be impossible.

But then I can't imagine stealing the square ones either.

Most hay producers in area only do squares, we have a lot of hobby farms and horse people but a few do round bales.

The supplier I was referring to had about 60 lb squares stored in a very large, unlocked, fully inclosed barn. He figures they came in the middle of the night pull into the barn and closed the doors until they were loaded.

 

[Dave]

Are the hay thieves just stealing square bales, or do they get round ones too. It seems like round ones would be impossible.

But then I can't imagine stealing the square ones either.

Most hay producers in area only do squares, we have a lot of hobby farms and horse people but a few do round bales.

The supplier I was referring to had about 60 lb squares stored in a very large, unlocked, fully inclosed barn. He figures they came in the middle of the night pull into the barn and closed the doors until they were loaded.

The hay here is 50/50 small square and round bales. Lots of wrapped haylage. The people who sell hay make small squares as they are in higher demand. Over the hill in Kathie's neighborhood the vast majority of hay is in big sqares. Practically no round bales and small squares are getting harder to find every year. Hay in the PNW is sold by the ton not by the bale. Most of the hay in Kathie's area and just east of her gets sold and hauled some distance. Squares, both big and small, allow you to put more tons of hay on a truck load.

I know two brothers. Both of questionable moral charactor, but one a lot worse. One lived over here and had a feed store. The other worked for an eastside hay farmer over in the Columbia Basin. The feed store guy called his brother wanting to buy a load of hay. His brother said he worked a deal and to bring a truck. So feed store guy takes a semi over to get a load of hay. He spent the night at his brother's and first thing in the morning they go load it up from a stack in the middle of nowhere. After they load they drive to the scale and weigh the load. Feed store guy writes a check the agreed amount per ton and takes his load home. Later he notices that his brother had deposited the check in his bank. When the story all came out it turned out that the stack they loaded out of didn't belong to the boss of the eastside brother. So he had stoled the hay. Had his brother unknowingly help steal the hay and charged him by the ton for it. There are people in the world who you want to avoid doing business with, even if they are related.
Over in the Columbian Basin there are lots and lots of hay stacks alongside fields where there isn't a house anywhere in sight. People who know what they are doing can load 30 tons of alfalfa on a truck might fast.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Yup, Dave -- It is really difficult here to build a relationship ("can we buy from you every year?") not just because of the high local prices, but because the producers have learned not to trust anyone that is small scale.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Are the hay thieves just stealing square bales, or do they get round ones too. It seems like round ones would be impossible.

But then I can't imagine stealing the square ones either.

No round bales are done here. There are either the BIG square bales, or 60-125 lb. bales.

 

[Dave]

Yup, Dave -- It is really difficult here to build a relationship ("can we buy from you every year?") not just because of the high local prices, but because the producers have learned not to trust anyone that is small scale.

I am surprised that you don't just go to Anderson's export yard and buy the kick outs. I have several friends who do that. Not at Anderson's but at export yards in Hermiston and Boardman. The export kick outs are good hay. They just have some sort of blemish or maybe bleached out side on the bale. You know that stuff they export has to all be prefect.