Hay theft on the rise

DJ54 · Dec 18, 2012

Up North of here about 75 miles, a fellow brought in 800, 45-50 lb. square bales of average 2nd cutting to an Amish community auction on a semi. First bidder made it bring $14.00 per bale. When the auctioneer asked how many he wanted, he told him the whole load...!! 4X5 round bales brought $140.00 ea.

I just did get enough this year to get me through until, if calculations are right..., the end of April. Hopefully the pasture will be greened enough to let them graze.

Soundguy · Dec 18, 2012

my goodness. I got my 4x5 rounds ( 1st cutting, fertalized bahia, barn kept ) for 35$ a pop back in the beginning f october. I feel lucky!

edlegault · Dec 18, 2012

Just saw an ad on CL here in central coast CA for plain grass hay at $17 for square bales.

hodge · Dec 18, 2012

DJ54 said:
Up North of here about 75 miles, a fellow brought in 800, 45-50 lb. square bales of average 2nd cutting to an Amish community auction on a semi. First bidder made it bring $14.00 per bale. When the auctioneer asked how many he wanted, he told him the whole load...!! 4X5 round bales brought $140.00 ea.

I just did get enough this year to get me through until, if calculations are right..., the end of April. Hopefully the pasture will be greened enough to let them graze.

Wow- and I thought $6 a bale for timothy/orchard grass was high.

DJ54 · Dec 18, 2012

Yeah, I remember in years past when we had good hay years, and hauled it to the drought stricken south. Buying here for $2.50, and selling as far south as Florida for $7.00. Now it's the other way around...
Good hay just 25 miles south of here, then runs out 50 miles south of that. Rain tracked weird this year. There would be large pockets of rain coming in, and 30 miles west, or less from here, it would disapate. Just disappear from the radar. Talk about frustrating...

There are people still wanting hay on Craigslist here, offering $2.50-$3.00. Ain't gonna' happen... You cannot make some people understand, it costs near as much to run equipment over 20 acres of hay, whether you get 25 bales to the acre, or 100. Let alone $500+ per ton for fertilizer, etc...

A buddy of mine chopped 40 acres of his corn this year, and used sileage bags to make up for hay. Corn didn't do all that well anyway, so he may come out ahead... Corn around here made about half the norm.

DJ54 · Dec 18, 2012

A normal year here, you can buy 1rst mixed for $2.50-$3.00, and 2nd $3.50 and up. Pure Alfalfa usually $5-$6, and up.

hodge said:
Wow- and I thought $6 a bale for timothy/orchard grass was high.

300UGUY · Dec 18, 2012

DJ54 said:
A normal year here, you can buy 1rst mixed for $2.50-$3.00, and 2nd $3.50 and up. Pure Alfalfa usually $5-$6, and up.

I doubt that we will see 2.50 here ever again. I think the new normal, due to higher inputs is going to be in the $5 range +/- a bit. One thing around here is that a lot of hay ground got plowed up for corn in the last few years. High prices on corn effect everything.

MIKE R · Dec 18, 2012

Was talking to a guy at TSC a few weeks back and he was saying about how much people were paying per bale. Down around Pickford/Rudyard Michigan they grow some of the finest hay around. Most of it gets shipped down to the racetracks. They usually get 2 or 3 cutting, this year only 1. 30 minutes north of there where I am we only ever get 1 cut. This year we were finished by the last week of July. The rest that were baling into August due to the dry weather were getting baked hay. Most people up hear don't do proper maintenance and upkeep of the fields. Every fall the field we do either see manure from the previous years or fertilizer in the spring. There is one guy who was baling up milkweed, willow trees and cattails and selling so called Horse Quality hay for $45 a 4 x4 soft core round.