I just got a new feed hay customer

[Hay Dude]

I am advertising my hay as “natural” hay. I hear advertising as “organic” raises all kinda red flags (like you have to have it “certified”, no chemicals for X # of years, etc.)
My hay IS organic, but I don’t advertise as such….maybe I should.

I have found it’s well received by most customers, BUT it seems like they thing un-sprayed hay is going to be as clean as sprayed hay….NOPE. They are going to have to accept the weed content being higher.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Yeah, organic is a whole nother can of worms ... And organic would mean not only no herbicide, but don't think you could even use urea for fertilizer, maybe chicken/turkey clean outs, IF they are organic too, or cow manure from certified farms, not sure how there medical treatments if any would effect there dung ... ?

My fields were more than 50% weeds, including brambles ... So I reluctantly bought a PTO sprayer, and sprayed herbicide, it killed off the weeds for the spring 1st cutting, with a good dose of pelletized fertilizer to give the grasses a good boost to out grow any weeds ... But 2nd cutting had about 15% weeds!

Once you do the herbicide, your kinda stuck sticking to it if you want 100% grasses ... Then you gotta find a buyer with deep pockets!

 

[Hay Dude]

Each year, I have expanded my feed hay sales. Someday, I would like it to be 50% of my total hay sales, as selling mushroom hay is becoming less profitable with each passing year.
Problem is, the feed hay selling growth is slow. Earning people’s trust is a slow painstaking process. I have some good customers now and if these recent few I have gotten buy what they say they will, I’ll be in pretty good shape next year.

 

[zzvyb6]

Really?????? I can't imagine anyone soaking hay for a few days prior to feeding. Also can't imagine animals eating it. You know this how??

My friend boards her spensive horse at a training stable near Flint. The horse 'foundered' (hoof inflamation which usually leads to hoof delamination/separation). This 'process' is quite common I'm told. Their high end hay was coming in at 15-18% 'sugar'. You don't starve the horse for a few days, but keep buckets of hay 'mash' in the queue.

Right now there is a scramble to find 'Teff' hay (never heard of it before). Other types are timothy, bermuda, and orchard. Turns out that weather, cutting time, and maturity greatly affect sugar levels, and barns use slow feeders or soak hay to further reduce sugar intake for metabolic issues. Some feed alfalfa, but never a good idea for 'easy keepers' and non-working animals.

A few hay buyers have been asking for "Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC)" counts of my hay. Since I usually cut after noon (when the plants are putting out the highest levels it can be rejected. I traditionally sell 'baled weeds' which the animals love but buyers turn their noses up on because it doesn't look green, fluffy, and vegetarian approved.

Google "low sugar hay for horses" 'Soaking' is common here.

 

[Torvy]

The term "organic" doesnt make sense to me. All food is organic. The same people who insist on "organic" are adamant about labeling, except when a false-moniker makes them feel better.

Congrats. It seems word of mouth is spreading. The thing I've noticed about hay as a business is that, like many crops, the local yield doesn't always match up with the local demand. Have you considered brokering hay when supply runs short? I'm imagining a small consortium with hay dudes in various regions. When you have a low output year, you bring some in from a partner. I know my relations with big farms tend to be buyers some years and sellers in others.

 

[Hay Dude]

My friend boards her spensive horse at a training stable near Flint. The horse 'foundered' (hoof inflamation which usually leads to hoof delamination/separation). This 'process' is quite common I'm told. Their high end hay was coming in at 15-18% 'sugar'. You don't starve the horse for a few days, but keep buckets of hay 'mash' in the queue.

Right now there is a scramble to find 'Teff' hay (never heard of it before). Other types are timothy, bermuda, and orchard. Turns out that weather, cutting time, and maturity greatly affect sugar levels, and barns use slow feeders or soak hay to further reduce sugar intake for metabolic issues. Some feed alfalfa, but never a good idea for 'easy keepers' and non-working animals.

A few hay buyers have been asking for "Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC)" counts of my hay. Since I usually cut after noon (when the plants are putting out the highest levels it can be rejected. I traditionally sell 'baled weeds' which the animals love but buyers turn their noses up on because it doesn't look green, fluffy, and vegetarian approved.

Google "low sugar hay for horses" 'Soaking' is common here.

What my buyers do is cover the bales with a thick heavy net while inside the hay hut to keep them from gorging themselves. It “regulates” their intake and makes them work harder to eat the bale. Reduces waste, too.
I have a British lady that buys hay from me, one of the few horse hay women I sell to with a functioning brain, and she does NOT like treated or high-end hay. She insists her horses are fed naturally occurring field grasses. They look thin, in a healthy way. The gallop, buck and look excellent.

 

[Hay Dude]

The term "organic" doesnt make sense to me. All food is organic. The same people who insist on "organic" are adamant about labeling, except when a false-moniker makes them feel better.

Congrats. It seems word of mouth is spreading. The thing I've noticed about hay as a business is that, like many crops, the local yield doesn't always match up with the local demand. Have you considered brokering hay when supply runs short? I'm imagining a small consortium with hay dudes in various regions. When you have a low output year, you bring some in from a partner. I know my relations with big farms tend to be buyers some years and sellers in others.

There’s a hay “co-op” about 40 miles SW of me in Maryland. I like the sounds of it, but I have always been kind of a “lone wolf” and don’t want some jackass trying to make hay for a hobby bringing down my hay prices.
We already have way too many of them. I believe in Capitalism, but when a guy is selling round bales for $40 and I’m trying to put food on the table, it’s enough already.

Like what if you are a framing carpenter and a retired millionaire decides to go into the framing carpentry business “for fun” and just needs to make enough money to cover his expenses?

We have that HERE in MY area. We actually have a rich multi-millionaire who bought his spoiled kid a complete set of haying equipment to go have “fun” and get him out of the house. We also have a couple retired guys that are “bored” making/selling hay for beer money and to relieve boredom, or get away from their nagging wives.