President Sold Out

[callmefence]

Do you send the samples off or have it done at a local place?

Take them to my local extension office and the my send the to the University of Georgia. It's around $17 per sample. Really helps me a lot to know what I have.

Thanks. I tried to find somewhere to take mine last year and didn't have any luck. I'm also interested in seeing how much protien the hay looses after it sits in a barn for a year.

Lucky TAMU does soil and forage samples very cheap. You can download instructions and forms online. You mail in the sample. If you need a link let me know and I'll look it up when I get in this evening.

 

[TexasBred]

how do know or figure how much hay to buy or keep or whether you're making any profit?

With the number of cattle I've had for the past several years, it's always around 5 rolls per cow, and I know the cost of it. Can the same size rolls really vary that much where you're from? It's not like I needed 100 rolls one winter and 150 the next due to them not weighing as much.

Does nobody else do it this way? Does everyone else go by weight?

I have always purchased hay by the ton. Weigh the truck, load it, weigh it again loaded. Not that hard. Seems 90% of the folks in the country thinks just about any kind of grass in any size roll weighs 1500 lbs. Not even close.

 

[TexasBred]

I feed hay free choice in trailers 4 rolls at a time. If it's poor hay the cows just eat more hay to get what they need.

Undigestible is undigestible. They'll get a little bit extra but mainly you're just making more turds.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Do you send the samples off or have it done at a local place?

Take them to my local extension office and the my send the to the University of Georgia. It's around $17 per sample. Really helps me a lot to know what I have.

Thanks. I tried to find somewhere to take mine last year and didn't have any luck. I'm also interested in seeing how much protien the hay looses after it sits in a barn for a year.

I only stored some under a barn once. And it was only about 40 rolls. I sampled it both years and mine dropped about 2%. I don't know if it continues to drop yearly or not. I bet TB would know.

 

[Lucky]

Take them to my local extension office and the my send the to the University of Georgia. It's around $17 per sample. Really helps me a lot to know what I have.

Thanks. I tried to find somewhere to take mine last year and didn't have any luck. I'm also interested in seeing how much protien the hay looses after it sits in a barn for a year.

Lucky TAMU does soil and forage samples very cheap. You can download instructions and forms online. You mail in the sample. If you need a link let me know and I'll look it up when I get in this evening.

Thanks fence. That's were I send soil samples. Didn't even think to try them for forage samples.

 

[TexasBred]

Do you send the samples off or have it done at a local place?

Take them to my local extension office and the my send the to the University of Georgia. It's around $17 per sample. Really helps me a lot to know what I have.

Thanks. I tried to find somewhere to take mine last year and didn't have any luck. I'm also interested in seeing how much protien the hay looses after it sits in a barn for a year.

www.dairyone.com Probably the best lab in the country and very reasonable. They furnish sample bag, mailer, pay postage, the whole 9 yards.

 

[herofan]

With the number of cattle I've had for the past several years, it's always around 5 rolls per cow, and I know the cost of it. Can the same size rolls really vary that much where you're from? It's not like I needed 100 rolls one winter and 150 the next due to them not weighing as much.

Does nobody else do it this way? Does everyone else go by weight?

I have always purchased hay by the ton. Weigh the truck, load it, weigh it again loaded. Not that hard. Seems 90% of the folks in the country thinks just about any kind of grass in any size roll weighs 1500 lbs. Not even close.

I can see where it's not that hard if you have access to scales; I don't, nor do I know anyone who does. I must say, this is a new one on me. I never hear anyone where I live discuss feeding hay by weight.

 

[greybeard]

When you buy hay, do you not at least ask how much the bales weigh?

 

[houstoncutter]

I miss it occasionally, but not often anymore. You just have to find something to do with all the extra time on your hand. I remodeled house and built a cabin the last 3 years. Time to find a new project

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I miss it occasionally, but not often anymore. You just have to find something to do with all the extra time on your hand. I remodeled house and built a cabin the last 3 years. Time to find a new project

Good to hear from you Houstoncutter.

 

[ga.prime]

Beggars can't be choosers

 

[herofan]

When you buy hay, do you not at least ask how much the bales weigh?

I've never bought any rolls of hay; I raise my own. I have sold a few rolls several years ago. They didn't ask how much it weighed; they just asked about the size of the roll.

I guess I can understand if people who are selling are somehow making the rolls much lighter than anyone would expect. I just never had to deal with that.

I also never consider weight when feeding hay. Sure, I've read about how much a cow should consume per day, but it's like leading a horse to water; I can't make a cow eat a certain number of pounds per day. I just keep it available and they eat as they desire.

 

[TexasBred]

Does nobody else do it this way? Does everyone else go by weight?

I have always purchased hay by the ton. Weigh the truck, load it, weigh it again loaded. Not that hard. Seems 90% of the folks in the country thinks just about any kind of grass in any size roll weighs 1500 lbs. Not even close.

I can see where it's not that hard if you have access to scales; I don't, nor do I know anyone who does. I must say, this is a new one on me. I never hear anyone where I live discuss feeding hay by weight.

Most all feed mills have scales and many feed stores do or even your local coop. Not hard to find if you really want to.

 

[M-5]

I have always purchased hay by the ton. Weigh the truck, load it, weigh it again loaded. Not that hard. Seems 90% of the folks in the country thinks just about any kind of grass in any size roll weighs 1500 lbs. Not even close.

I can see where it's not that hard if you have access to scales; I don't, nor do I know anyone who does. I must say, this is a new one on me. I never hear anyone where I live discuss feeding hay by weight.

Most all feed mills have scales and many feed stores do or even your local coop. Not hard to find if you really want to.

every truck stop has them too.

 

[ChrisB]

For the most part I think the people that are feeding by weight are feeding with a TMR mixer. Buying by weight makes the most sense, but usually if buying hay locally it is advertised and sold by the bale. You can ask how much it weighs, but unless actually weighed everybody thinks their bales are heavier than they are. Most people buying hay just go by size of bale and how tight they are rolled.

 

[herofan]

For the most part I think the people that are feeding by weight are feeding with a TMR mixer. Buying by weight makes the most sense, but usually if buying hay locally it is advertised and sold by the bale. You can ask how much it weighs, but unless actually weighed everybody thinks their bales are heavier than they are. Most people buying hay just go by size of bale and how tight they are rolled.

Thanks for sharing this. I didn't know what a TMR mixer was, but after looking it up, it made more sense that weight would be a factor. My experience has always been what you mentioned about going by size of the bale. When others mentioned that I could find scales at the feed store, it still wouldn't change anything I'm doing. That is information i don't really need, but it makes more sense to me now if one uses the mixer. I've never in my life heard people advertise hay locally and mention how much it weighed, but I never heard of anyone using a TMR mixer around here either. We hillbillies around here just set out some rolls of hay free choice and put out more when it's eaten down