Texans, Say it aint so!

[Sawgum]

Just had to pay $35.00 for 5x5 bales of hay. I thought that was a little steep but was told they were going for a hundred bucks a bale in Texas! Say it aint so!

 

[jw]

It are so!!

I don't know of anyone that is paying it, but that is believable. All I have priced is at least $75.00 a roll. Based on my calculations we will have to feed for 9 or 10 months. Hard to make a profit like that.

 

[Alice]

It is so...

Alice

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Yep...it's so! We're paying $75 for 5x6 round of bermuda that was contracted for last winter from "local" supplier. Paying $107 for same size round of alfalfa. Both are weed free, fertilized, irrigated, delivered price. With luck we'll get delivery on ALL we ordered before they run out (or have a poor late summer cutting).

 

[Horticattleman]

Man I'm sorry to hear all that. I was reading the classifieds today and saw several guys selling 5x5 bales for $15. Alfalfa for $11. We're in S. Louisiana. We had severe drought for a while, but are recovering. Wonder why its so much difference. I also saw a couple of people listing 25 - 100 acres of grass for whoever wanted to come make hay, free.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Just had to pay $35.00 for 5x5 bales of hay. I thought that was a little steep but was told they were going for a hundred bucks a bale in Texas! Say it aint so!

A hundred bucks if you can find it!!! The only hay that I know of that can be had is $130 a bale, and no one seems to be biting except for the horse folks.

Several are offering me $100 a bale for hay, IN THE FIELD, and I aint selling.

Prickly pear literally dried up and died last year. THAT was unbelieveable. Folks were feeding six year old hay. We had wild fires every day and pastures burning left and right. This year has not been as bad but it is still awful. At least the bull nettle and prickly pear still have green tint to them this year, but that looks like it could change. The cedar trees were actually flashing last year in the fires. It is a very dangerous situation. I planted winter wheat, oats, and rye in September and October. It finally got a little rain in January.

Since records have been kept, locally, it has never been this bad.

 

[Herefordcross]

It sounds like a lot of gouging going on down there, I know everyone needs to survive but, come on! When things turn green again, I hope your hay suppliers get a little back of what they have been doing to some of you guys.

 

[Lammie]

I haven't priced it this season. I know last year small square bales were selling for 8.00 apiece. 5x6 rounds of coastal were 90.00, that may have been sudan, can't remember. I had some prices out of the Waco paper from last week. I think I saw the same size rounds for 55.00. (that's not delivered). Small square bales in the field were 6.00, I think.

I'm selling calves tomorrow. Right now prices are holding steady. If I wait much longer they won't be.

 

[backhoeboogie]

It sounds like a lot of gouging going on down there, I know everyone needs to survive but, come on! When things turn green again, I hope your hay suppliers get a little back of what they have been doing to some of you guys.

Fertilizer is expensive. Folks who have coastal hay on the river bottoms are irrigating it. Brazos River Authority charges for river water and it is salty. Fuel for irrigation is expensive. I am paying $17 per bale to have the hay baled, because fuel is so expensive. It all adds up. If you don't have irrigation, you don't have hay.

 

[samm]

yep it is so....had some people parked down by the red light in town with a trailer if square alfafa bales for 9.00 a bale, and the man said he has the big rolls of costal for 100.00 a roll. we just had to stop to see what they were pricing it at....sure didnt buy none. saw an ad for rolls of soy bean hay for 95.00. and rolls of corn stalk wirth the corn still on them, not baled yet for 45.00 a roll.
we should finish our baling tomorrow, and i sure hope that we can make enough to get through till next year.

 

[Alan]

Man I'm sorry to hear all that. I was reading the classifieds today and saw several guys selling 5x5 bales for $15. Alfalfa for $11. We're in S. Louisiana. We had severe drought for a while, but are recovering. Wonder why its so much difference. I also saw a couple of people listing 25 - 100 acres of grass for whoever wanted to come make hay, free.

I don't use round bales but, here the square bales (65lbs) are $2 per bale.

My question is if you can get round bale in Louisiana for $15 a bale, why aren't semi loads of hay headed your way? I would think at $85 difference per bale would cover fuel cost.

Alan

 

[AngusSenorita]

It is true. We had to sell all of our cows (we had 8 cows and 1 bull). We use square bales for our horses now.

 

[ROCKSPRINGS]

My pasture looks like its February. Paid $75.00 / round bale for two years now. $110.00 for coastal round.

 

[alabama]

Hay is short in Alabama this year. I have cut one time this year and got about ½ what I normally get in a cutting. I am hopping for at least one more cutting if I can get a few more showers. That will leave me with one and ½ cuttings for the summer. In a good year, we can get a good four cuttings. I have spent the same on fertilizer as a good year and I still have all the equipment even though I have not used it much this year. My input cost is close to the same as a good year but my product is at 35%. So it would be easy to figure that I will need to get 3 times as much for my product to cover the cost. I sell rolls for $30 last year so 3 times 30 is 90. Well I just can't sell to folks at $90 a roll and I don't have any to sell any way. I fed most of my first cutting and need the last cutting to try to get through the winter.
What I have done so far is to sell a few rolls to keep good customers at the rate of $35 a roll. This has helped them keep the cows this summer and buy time for some rain. However, I told them all that I would not have any winter hay for them this year and they needed to find another source. I suppose if some of these people get in a bad bind this winter I will let them have a roll if possible just to be neighborly.
But back to the point, in drought hay at $100 a roll ain't jipping people it is selling hay for what it is worth. And remember that by not selling my hay and feeding it to my cows it is costing me $100 a roll to feed too.

 

[endebt]

i just ordered 50 bales of milo stacks. i am paying $35.00 a bale in the field. will have to haulm them about 25 miles. I am happy to get them. I could not stand to sell out but a lot of the big boys and the hobby ranchers are going under. I talk to a friend at the sale barn today he is selling 125 head of very good cows because of the hay prices. He said he could not buy hay and even get close to braking even. WE NEED SOME D M RAIN AND BADLY.
Good luck every one.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Man I'm sorry to hear all that. I was reading the classifieds today and saw several guys selling 5x5 bales for $15. Alfalfa for $11. We're in S. Louisiana. We had severe drought for a while, but are recovering. Wonder why its so much difference. I also saw a couple of people listing 25 - 100 acres of grass for whoever wanted to come make hay, free.

I don't use round bales but, here the square bales (65lbs) are $2 per bale.

My question is if you can get round bale in Louisiana for $15 a bale, why aren't semi loads of hay headed your way? I would think at $85 difference per bale would cover fuel cost.

Alan

Oh they are trucking it in. You should have seen some of the KRAP that came in last year.

 

[Horticattleman]

KRAP? I just bought several bales of Coastal delivered from 50 miles out for $22 / 5x5. Real good hay.

 

[backhoeboogie]

KRAP? I just bought several bales of Coastal delivered from 50 miles out for $22 / 5x5. Real good hay.

If you hauled it to central Tx, you could make some nickels on it.