Hay pricing

[birddog0304]

Making square bales of hay is a heck of a lot of work. Capital investment, even if you're a small timer like me, can be huge and if it ain't, you're likely on your back fixing the equipment at every turn, when you aren't running to buy parts. Nobody works free, not even family members. Taxes on the sales, taxes on the profit, taxes on the equipment and land. Quality hay needs to be weed free and of a good variety. Fertilizer, herbicides, lime and seed are cost drivers. Liability insurance in case someone decides to sue. Making quality hay isn't an exercise in charity. I laugh when people complain about the price of hay - especially when they don't have enough hot air to load their own (brand new truck), let alone make any hay themselves. Good luck with your hay endeavor. Let us know your opinion of hay prices once you start making your own.

Well stated. A farmers biggest investment is the land, I have been able to watch a neighbor neglect his land for 10 yrs now, however still cuts hay from it. It's amazing to watch the yield drop. Also the amount of broom straw / sage grass / weeds that takes over is amazing.

 

[CDennyRun]

Well, I ended up getting lucky, and found a really solid supply of some pretty good looking small bales. It's mostly timothy and orchard grass, and the bales are tight. $5 a bale, from the barn! The guy seems really straight forward, and looks like he takes good care of his equipment. This has been such a blessing for us!

Thanks everyone for the responses. It's been a great help hearing from the people that hay for a living. It's easy for a guy like me, who doesn't own the land, maintain the equipment, or pay the labor, to complain about prices going up. Thanks for the insight!

Regards,

Chris

 

[ultrarunner]

$18 to $20 for a regular bale at the feed store... going rate here in SF Bay Area...

They use to give a discount for coop members and stopped that last year on hay.

 

[CDennyRun]

$18 to $20 for a regular bale at the feed store... going rate here in SF Bay Area...

They use to give a discount for coop members and stopped that last year on hay.

There's no way I could afford to have our horses down there. That's just insane. With the California drought and all, I understand. Everything basically has to get trucked in. I worked at a feed store in Santa Rosa, just North of you about 16 years ago, and I remember Alfalfa was $10, and California red oat was about $12... Even back then, when y'all got rain!

 

[Soundguy]

I was wondering if any of you guys adjust your prices down, after the price of diesel drops significantly. In my area, small bales were $2.50-3.00 six or seven years ago. Diesel skyrocketed, and now people pay $10-16 for orchard grass, timothy and so on. This year diesel is close to what it was in 2003, and prices are still going up.

This kind of blows my mind. I understand that the prices of everything else haven't dropped, and it needs to be a profitable business. I just think that fuel prices should reflect hay prices in both directions. The cheapest I've found in my area lately is $8. I talked to a farmer the other day who is charging $10 about it, and he just said "It's supply and demand. I'm going to cash in as much as I can" I get that making optimal profit is EVERYONES goal in all industries, but I feel pretty off put by the farmers here locally for these crazy prises. It just seems dishonest.

This is another reason I can't wait to start baling my own! Thoughts?

Regards,

Chris

17 ys ago... small squares were 2$ 12-15 ys ago, small squares were 3$-4.50.. now they are closer to 6-7$

 

[bigbull338]

so far this is how much hay weve bought and what we gave for it.we picked up 12 bales of 2yr old for $20 a bale.the above hay wasnt 5 by 6 it was more 5 by 5.then we picked up 2yr old netwrapped 5 by 6 heavy fert hay for $25.we still have all of our winter hay.

 

[CDennyRun]

17 ys ago... small squares were 2$ 12-15 ys ago, small squares were 3$-4.50.. now they are closer to 6-7$

$6-7 isn't half bad. I'm not familiar with your state at all... just what you here and see on TV. Is there quite a bit of pasture in central Florida? Or is a lot of the hay trucked in?

 

[CDennyRun]

17 ys ago... small squares were 2$ 12-15 ys ago, small squares were 3$-4.50.. now they are closer to 6-7$

$6-7 isn't half bad. I'm not familiar with your state at all... just what you here and see on TV. Is there quite a bit of pasture in central Florida? Or is a lot of the hay trucked in?

Edit: Looking at google earth, you guys have a ton of farm land. Looks really nice!

 

[KevT]

Not sure where Soundguy is, but around here most of the hay makers won't touch under 85 acres, which is why my 20 is pasture. Most are HUNDREDS of acres. Lots of hay fields around and this was a good year for hay, but like everyone else, I have seen bad years too.

 

[CDennyRun]

Not sure where Soundguy is, but around here most of the hay makers won't touch under 85 acres, which is why my 20 is pasture. Most are HUNDREDS of acres. Lots of hay fields around and this was a good year for hay, but like everyone else, I have seen bad years too.

Ha ha, wow. People around here are willing to hay as little as a couple acres. Most of them being people like me that want to do it as a hobby, and hopefully break even feeding their animals one day. In my area, there aren't very many properties 85+ acres that aren't swamp/woods. If there is, it's probably a berry field, or will be soon.