Price for Baling Hay

[Angus Cowman]

I do alot of custom baling and was just wondering what the prices are for getting hay baled in different parts of the country I bale 4x5s with string for $18 a bale
they weigh about 950lbs after they have cured and about 1100lbs straight out of the baler that is for grass hay and yes I have weighed them both ways

 

[JRM]

Last year got 25 a roll for a 6X5 roll. Never weight any but some said they thought it weigh around 1500. Heard it going from 22.50 to 30 a roll in my area (northeast Texas)

 

[stocky]

A few neighbors gave me hay if I would cut and put it up this year. I found 3 people around here that cut and bale it. One puts up 4x5 bales and charges 18 with net wrap. One puts up 4x6 net wrap for 22. The guy I got has a real good, tight baling John Deere with net wrap for 16 dollars per bale. The only problem is that everyone gets him, so he gets behind sometimes. I had him bale almost 500 bales for me and we just put up the last of it last week. He runs 2 tractors and 2 discbines and really lays it down in a hurry. He baled over 10,000 bales this year

 

[grannysoo]

If there is plenty of grass, $18.00 per 4x5 netwrapped.

If the grass is slim pickings, it's $100.00 per hour.

 

[flaboy]

When my baler chains broke last year my neighbor had to hire his done. We had it cut and raked. The first guy was $17/bale. When we cut the rest he got another guy do bale (only) for $12/bale.

 

[MrBilly]

4x5 net wrap, includes cutting, tedding, raking and baling. $20.50 in Mid-Ga.

Billy :tiphat:

 

[Angus Cowman]

Thanks I cut rake and bale tedd if needed for$18 rake and bale for $12 I don't bale hay behind anyone elses rake because I like my hay raked a certain way so I can bale faster

 

[Angus Cowman]

A few neighbors gave me hay if I would cut and put it up this year. I found 3 people around here that cut and bale it. One puts up 4x5 bales and charges 18 with net wrap. One puts up 4x6 net wrap for 22. The guy I got has a real good, tight baling John Deere with net wrap for 16 dollars per bale. The only problem is that everyone gets him, so he gets behind sometimes. I had him bale almost 500 bales for me and we just put up the last of it last week. He runs 2 tractors and 2 discbines and really lays it down in a hurry. He baled over 10,000 bales this year

IMO if you are going to bale large quantities of hay you need to use a John Deere or New Holland baler they just seem to be more consistent

 

[bigbull338]

we pay $20 a bale to get hay cut raked an baled.the guy runs a vermeer 604 baler.

 

[Limomike]

We paid $18 per bale this year, but further south they were paying up to $21 per bale. (4x5 bales, string)
Around 1100-1200lbs out of the baler. Used to do it all ourselves, but sold the baler and rake to the guy who does it for us now.

 

[Angus Cowman]

we pay $20 a bale to get hay cut raked an baled.the guy runs a vermeer 604 baler.

the older vermeers were good balers a buddy sells them new and he said in the last 2yrs vermeer quality has went down hill

 

[gabby]

This year I did the cutting, fluffing and raking myself. Paid to have it baled with a JD 467 netwrap baler, 4x6 bales, cost me $13 per bale for the baling only.

 

[Bez+]

I have never done the whole shebang for anyone - but this past summer before leaving I did a few bales for a neighbour.

Round bales. He bought the wrap and the twine and I did the baling for a buck a foot.

He wanted some in 4 foot diametre and some in the 5 foot and some at 6 feet. So I charged him 4, 5 and 6 bucks respectively. Fairly decent heavy crop.

I figure we did all right - I am a bit surprized at some of the pricing I am hearing.

Bez+

 

[Angus Cowman]

I have never done the whole shebang for anyone - but this past summer before leaving I did a few bales for a neighbour.

Round bales. He bought the wrap and the twine and I did the baling for a buck a foot.

He wanted some in 4 foot diametre and some in the 5 foot and some at 6 feet. So I charged him 4, 5 and 6 bucks respectively. Fairly decent heavy crop.

I figure we did all right - I am a bit surprized at some of the pricing I am hearing.

Bez+

Bez
I figure that cost this yr was almost $16 a bale and that was if the field yeild was 5 bales to an acre that is with me and the wife doing it no outside labor , you have to figure a new baler now is $30k new disc bine is $18k and a good used tractor is $35k+ and then the fuel about killed us I was making more money 2yrs ago at $15 a bale than I was this yr at $18 and yes you can get by with running older equipment if doing it for yourself but when doing custom work time and down time is a major factor I bale about 2500bales on the first cutting and then if I do a 2nd or 3rd add another 12-1500 on top of that so I have to be able to pull in and go i know alot of guys who just figure what they make and don't figure the cost to replace equip. and I ain't gonna do it for my health :lol: :lol:

 

[Alberta farmer]

In Alberta a good crop of alfalpha/brome would go about 3 tons to the acre. Going price for a hay bale(1100-1200lb.) is about $30-$40 a bale. About $180 gross income per acre. Very few people with cattle bother baling a second cut up here as we have a pretty short growing season and the economics of going over it twice don't work all that well. Better to let the cows graze it off after it is frozen.
Usually $12-$15 to cut, don't know about raking. If it cost $15 to bale at 1100 lb. you are getting up in that
$80 range, plus your $13 to cut = $93?
Now you aren't going to get 3 tons without some fertilizer? The neighbor told me he put on $80/acre, so what does that leave you, the landowner? $7! Well that doesn't work to good, especially when the grain boys will pay you $80-$100 rent?
You might be a lot better off finding some poor lost soul who thinks he's making money selling hay for $.03-$.04 cents a pound and rent your land out for grain production?
Why you might even find some hay that has been rained on a time or two a whole lot cheaper? Good enough for a dry cow, but not for a horse.

 

[BeefmasterB]

Thanks I cut rake and bale tedd if needed for$18 rake and bale for $12 I don't bale hay behind anyone elses rake because I like my hay raked a certain way so I can bale faster

How do you rake it so it bales faster? I'm interested the various ways and have tried several that I'm not real happy with.

Hired baling in the Wharton, Texas area has been running $20 a 4x5 round bales with net.

 

[nap]

you know, I don't bale hay and I buy as little of it as possible. It seems to me, however, that the cost of baling is grossly underestimated. I was in a JD dealership the other day and posed a question concerning the equipment cost for getting started on hay baling. The answer of $100,000 astonished me. If you are using older equipment there are the constant repair costs. In addition, using land for hay reduces the land that could be used for grazing. Hayed land has to be fertilized whereas grazed land lets the animals provide the fertilizer. Does anyone seriously factor the time it takes from cutting to getting hay into the barn in their cost analyses? How about fuel costs? How about labor costs? How about the liability of storing a very volatile commodity in a closed area? And all of these things occur before you even get the hay out to the animals which is another labor and fuel costs. It seems to me in these times of tight economic conditions that the whole enterprise of baling hay is fatally flawed. We should be working toward solutions that allow the use of less hay.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I agree withyou Nap but in my case I have ground that can not be pastured so I hay it also people have beleived for yrs that you have to have hay to feed cattle and in northern states I agree but alot of southern states you can do improvements to greatly reduce that neccesity

 

[Alberta farmer]

In Alberta some guys have it figured, by swath grazing, they can get through most of the winter without feeding hay. Apparently they seem to think they save some money? Not so sure with the high price of grain today...seems to me it might make more sense to just grow grain/canola?
With the high cost of fertilizer, fuel, equipment today I cannot justify growing hay...not when I can buy it cheaper than I can grow it? The other thing about bought hay is you are adding nutrients to your soil, not just recycling your own nutrients through a cow?
And personally I don't like spending my summers haying and fixing equipment...especially when it pays me nothing!

 

[Angus Cowman]

In Alberta some guys have it figured, by swath grazing, they can get through most of the winter without feeding hay. Apparently they seem to think they save some money? Not so sure with the high price of grain today...seems to me it might make more sense to just grow grain/canola?
With the high cost of fertilizer, fuel, equipment today I cannot justify growing hay...not when I can buy it cheaper than I can grow it? The other thing about bought hay is you are adding nutrients to your soil, not just recycling your own nutrients through a cow?
And personally I don't like spending my summers haying and fixing equipment...especially when it pays me nothing!

I feel alot of people could benefit by the way you figure especially if they try and have their own equipment I figure to justify having my hay equip I have to bale at least 2000 bales a yr just to break even on the cost and as far as buying vs baling in my area you could buy (probably) better quality hay then you can raise for the same amount or less on 3 out of 5yrs especially on a small scale say less than 200 bales a yr