what does hay sell for in your area?

[TexasBred]

It is a mystery to me of how it is such a difference in the cost of commercial baling from region to region or state to state, I have seen on this topic from $16 to $35 per bale to bale.
Maybe it is the volume per acre, because of years of drought some have only got one bale to the acre and no second cutting, on good years 3to 4 bales is average , with maybe A second cutting,
Those who do fertilize the first cutting never fertilize for the second cutting and get half the volume of first cutting.

First cutting usually has a little bit of everything in it and that's a lot of the volume. 2nd cutting is still utilizing some of the fertilizer applied earlier and will be good clean hay. Put a pencil to it. I don't see how anybody can sell hay for $35 and make any money.

 

[Son of Butch]

Amazing how those 1500 lb. bales shrink when you roll a load of them on the scales. :nod:

And when they do weigh 1500 lbs they're +17% moisture and moldy inside.

 

[TexasBred]

Amazing how those 1500 lb. bales shrink when you roll a load of them on the scales. :nod:

And when they do weigh 1500 lbs they're +17% moisture and moldy inside.

:nod: :nod:

 

[Stocker Steve]

I don't see how anybody can sell hay for $35 and make any money.

Haying is a hobby for some.

 

[TexasBred]

I don't see how anybody can sell hay for $35 and make any money.

Haying is a hobby for some.

Must be...a money losing hobby at that if they can fertilize and own the equipment to put up hay and still sell it at those prices. If all they do is cut and bale whatever is there maybe they can sell that cheap. I wouldn't want any of it even at that price.

 

[B&M Farms]

I sold 5x6 coastal and coastal/bahia mix bales for $40 to $60 a bale last fall depending on quality. Sold small coastal squares of tested at 13% and 56 TDN for $8. Baled for two neighbors and charged $26 a bale. We average 4 5x6 bales first cutting and 3 after that per cutting per acre around here with adequate rain. No way I could pay for equipment or fertilizer cutting or selling hay as cheap as some of the prices I've seen here. I don't think some folks add up all their cost.

 

[BobbyLummus1]

Paid $65 for 4x6 ( 14 % tested good hay today ) - most I've ever paid for hay but worth it imo after buying 4x4 or 4x5 stems and weeds for $20-30 a bale for years

 

[B&M Farms]

Paid $65 for 4x6 ( 14 % tested good hay today ) - most I've ever paid for hay but worth it imo after buying 4x4 or 4x5 stems and weeds for $20-30 a bale for years

Hay that good would bring the same here too. Especially tested. You should be able to winter cows on it easy.

 

[TexasBred]

Paid $65 for 4x6 ( 14 % tested good hay today ) - most I've ever paid for hay but worth it imo after buying 4x4 or 4x5 stems and weeds for $20-30 a bale for years

Good buy !!! Did you test it yourself?

 

[Stocker Steve]

No way I could pay for equipment or fertilizer cutting or selling hay as cheap as some of the prices I've seen here. I don't think some folks add up all their cost.

Running total cost crop budgets or hay budgets can be pretty depressing. Some folks just pretend by adding up the short term input costs...

The only way I could see a profit from hay was producing a lot of high value dairy quality alfalfa. The problem with that approach here is it is often too wet :nod: to make good dry hay until the second crop.

I think a cattleman needs to look at hay making as a pasture management tool-- just like clipping. Then you can charge some of the cost back to the cattle. :cowboy:

 

[Son of Butch]

Big Advantage to buying hay is if you don't like the quality you can walk away and buy another.
vs
Raising your own if you end up with poor quality [often due to weather] you are pretty much stuck with it.

 

[Brentp]

Last year I bought 650 rolls of previous year hay for $5 per 5x5 that looked awful. I supplemented a little but the cows gained condition through the winter. I ran out right before spring and had to buy a load of big squares. Those last three weeks of winter cost me more than all the rest.

I bought some 4x5 rolls of orchard grass for $40 this week that I thought was high but it did look good. Now I just need to find 900 more rolls. Ha ha.

 

[Bigfoot]

Somedays, I convince myself poor quality hay at a cheap price, supplemented with a little DDG is cheaper than high quality. Both poor quality hay, and DDG are readily available here.

 

[highgrit]

Somedays, I convince myself poor quality hay at a cheap price, supplemented with a little DDG is cheaper than high quality. Both poor quality hay, and DDG are readily available here.

I think you're right Bigfoot. Once I started cutting and baling my own hay, I'm finally starting to see the quality hay. But I'm never going to save enough money on good hay to pay for the equipment. But the satisfaction I get from not having to depend on someone else is worth it.

 

[TexasBred]

Somedays, I convince myself poor quality hay at a cheap price, supplemented with a little DDG is cheaper than high quality. Both poor quality hay, and DDG are readily available here.

Don't forget to figure your own time in there of feeding both the poor quality hay and the ddg, shrinkage, and never knowing if you're feeding enough or too much. I'd just rather invest in a good quality hay based on a reliable test than force my cattle to eat junk. There is much more to hay than "crude protein".