How much is a bale of hay in your area?

[AKfish]

Sorta like the "how much is gas..." but a little less aggravating -- I hope!

Anyway, I paid $6.50 a bale in the field last summer here in Alaska. Fifty pound square bales on average. Bought 'em from a couple of different farmers but they were very professional in their approach to "raisin' hay". Used a digital moisture meter before cranking up the baler and checked several windrows before starting. Also weighed a number of the first bales with a scale upon startup.

A lot more "high tech" than when I was a kid! So, what are you payin' (or sellin") a bale of hay for this season where you live?

Thanks for the come back==

AKfish

 

[Harleymsn]

Well, I don't actually buy any, but I have gone to pick it up a few times lately for a neighbor who's truck is down. It depends on what type of hay it is, square (rectangular) bales here go for between $2 - $6. But most folks get the round ones 5' x 5' between $18 and $25 each.

 

[dubba]

2.75 in da field for regular grass horse hay. 3.00 out of the barn.

3.25-3.50 for second cut in the field.

3.50-4.00 for alfalfa.

 

[Lloyd_E]

3 years ago it was $1.25 in the field depending on quantity. $2.50 at barn.
I believe it is around $2.00 field now and $2.50-$3 barn.

Lloyd

 

[Unclebuck257]

You've got to consider the fact that much of Texas has been, and still is in some stage of a severe or worse drought, although with some recent rains it has improved. The drought was very bad here last year, thus throwing hay prices, if you could get any hay, very high.

Right now, small square bales of horse quality hay still go for $7.50-$8.50 per bale

Round bales of coastal were going for up to $95.00 per bale, although the average was about $85.00 after about last October.

Round bales of just prairie grass were selling for $65.00-$75.00 a bale.

Luckily, I got my hay bought early and didn't have to take that heavy hit, but a number of folks did and couldn't afford it so they had to sell off a bunch of their cattle.

 

[RayH]

Square bale of hay is $6.00
Square bale of straw is $4.00

 

[meadowlarkponds]

Unclebuck257,

Like you I got my hay in last year before things got really bad in East Texas...I couldn't afford to feed cows hay at those prices.

 

[AKfish]

$8.50 for a bale of prairie hay! Whoa.... A guy would have to add a couple of zeros to the price for his stock to come out on raising steers or feeder calves with hay that high. I could see why the cows would have to go on down the road...

Hardly see much alfalfa up here. A few big round bales from Canada that are trucked in. I don't think it overwinters at all up here, so nobody raises it. Timothy hay and some oat staw bales from the middle of the state -- Delta Junction area -- is what's available, mostly.

Most folk's up here feed the small rectangular bales. Equipment costs to handle the big stuff, puts the cost/benefit way into the red zone.

Earlier this winter, I seem to recall some big round bales in the newspaper for $180/bale. Pretty spendy, but they were alfalfa.

Thought I read a post here on the forum about hay in Florida costing $17/bale?? Course, they got fires everywhere and when it ain't burnin' seems like it's rainin' sideways with 150 mph gusts!! Guess I'll stay with the snow that mostly falls straight down and whisper quiet..

Two horses, four chickens (Rhode Island reds!) and two bunnies. No dog yet. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

AKfish

 

[greatrandini]

$3.25 dilivered and stacked in barn; brome grass. 65lb average.

 

[Gringo_Viejo]

Last week I paid $45/bale for 60 4x4 round bales of Angleton hay delivered. I bought 40 bales from the same guy in February for $40. $45 is 50% more than I paid a year ago to another supplier, but I still consider myself very fortunate. It is absolutely unbelievable what some people are charging now. My supplier said that he had to go up because of the price of diesel. He says that he is getting four or five calls a day from people wanting hay, and he is not even listed on the hay hotline that has been instituted by the state of Texas to identify hay suppliers.