Hay Farmers getting out of farming

[sd455dan]

Anyone seeing this at an increasing rate?
CL ads everywhere around here with farmers selling out/retiring, etc.
Seems like this sunami of high input prices (fuel, fertilizer, et al) may be the final nail?
Talked to a buddy last week running 1600 acres of hay in a neighboring state and he said “I’m done”
He has already sold his Magnums and self propelleds

YES.
My sister has been buying from the same large hay farmer for a couple decades. She said in his case it was 2/3rds being fed up and the other 1/3 wanting to retire.
The only happy thing was the used equipment sale as he recouped over 50% more on his equipment than he thought he would.
ps.
2 years ago the area had a bumper crop. Last year yields were off by almost 40%. We bought from the same growers and they had to increase the square bale price accordingly. We immediately agreed to the price increase. Several people that waited. till late fall had problems even finding hay around here.

 

[sea2summit]

Hay prices per 50-lbs sq bale in 10 years went from $2 per bale to $8 per bale. And that is IF you can find them! So many hay folks in round bales that horses, lamas, goats and sheep are kept out of the hay market because there are no sq bales to be had.

Round bales are great for the hay producer, but awful and wasteful for the livestock and dairy farms. We are constantly out bidding each other driving the sq bale prices up further and further due to the demand.

Precisely why I just invested in a new square baler

I haven't tried to sell at $8 but I probably should have, I'm out of hay to sell already.

 

[wpala]

Hay prices per 50-lbs sq bale in 10 years went from $2 per bale to $8 per bale. And that is IF you can find them! So many hay folks in round bales that horses, lamas, goats and sheep are kept out of the hay market because there are no sq bales to be had.

Round bales are great for the hay producer, but awful and wasteful for the livestock and dairy farms. We are constantly out bidding each other driving the sq bale prices up further and further due to the demand.

Would that be small sq or large? I'm thinking of selling some of mine overflow hay that I will not use rolls are easier and faster to produce and put away then small sq but I can see small sq being in need as for ease of transport if someone just needs 10-20at the time

 

[ultrarunner]

Paying $22 to $28 bale for orchard grass in SF Bay Area...

 

[Hozzie]

There will be demand and someone will fill the void. Prices will go up, but someone will take the opportunity.

 

[Hay Dude]

Hay prices per 50-lbs sq bale in 10 years went from $2 per bale to $8 per bale. And that is IF you can find them! So many hay folks in round bales that horses, lamas, goats and sheep are kept out of the hay market because there are no sq bales to be had.

Round bales are great for the hay producer, but awful and wasteful for the livestock and dairy farms. We are constantly out bidding each other driving the sq bale prices up further and further due to the demand.

Hay prices per 50-lbs sq bale in 10 years here went from $7 to $9-$10. We arent seeing much increase in hay prices, but eventually its going to break loose like a dam and prices will be $15-$20. Only thing that might stop that is if equine operations tank.
Round bales have improved the waste factor with the crop cutter now chopping the hay into shorter pieces, or slicing, decreasing waste. Also RBs sell cheaper, so more waste not as big a deal As it used to be.
I have a large square baler with knives and itll chop hay into shorter length and it‘ll also make a shorter square bale (as short as 4 feet) thats easy to handle with a smaller tractor, so no more need for a round baler for me.

Krone makes a large square baler that will actually make a pack of small square bales. They will also be able to offset some of the labor issues involved in the handling of small squares.

 

[Hoodoo]

That would explain the $20+ a bale prices here in N AZ.....

 

[JESSE1]

I just priced fertilizer and the 21-7-14 I use on my coastal bermuda hay pasture is about $1000 per ton. Twice what it was last year. Last year's historic freeze we had in February did severe damage to my hay pasture. To top it off we have a severe drought going on. I might be out of the hay and cow business.

 

[Hay Dude]

I just priced fertilizer and the 21-7-14 I use on my coastal bermuda hay pasture is about $1000 per ton. Twice what it was last year. Last year's historic freeze we had in February did severe damage to my hay pasture. To top it off we have a severe drought going on. I might be out of the hay and cow business.

Sorry brother. I hate reading that. I hope you can find a way….
I found a way to make more non-farm income, until I could get tonnage up a lot.

 

[sree251]

I just priced fertilizer and the 21-7-14 I use on my coastal bermuda hay pasture is about $1000 per ton. Twice what it was last year. Last year's historic freeze we had in February did severe damage to my hay pasture. To top it off we have a severe drought going on. I might be out of the hay and cow business.

Sorry to hear that, Jesse. Hang it there. Things may still work out.