Hay- Price and availability?

You have a point. I remember the property taxes, and the sales tax, and the state income tax, and all the other taxes and fees inflicted on the citizens of NY. People here in NH think their property taxes are high, but they haven't lived in NY.

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Karen
Birchtree Homestead Farm
http://birchtreefarm.com
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very much drought here. I am not sure what will happen. My pasture is eaten up and bone dry. Think dust bowl. I guess I wil be finding out soon as to what hay will cost

My pasture, never enough anyway, is brown peach fuzz and clouds of dirt. Definitely will need reseeding this winter.

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For we used to ask when we were little, thinking that the old men knew all things which are on earth: yet forsooth they did not know; but we do not contradict them, for neither do we know.

My area just got hailed out 100% on second cut so prices will likely climb to $175/ton shortly.

It's not only the loss of hay production that is a stressor but the acres of dead pasture. Around here there is normally year around pasture with irrigation. But no irrigation and no rain mean that people who normally feed hay only for a month or two will be doing so for at least 10 months.

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For we used to ask when we were little, thinking that the old men knew all things which are on earth: yet forsooth they did not know; but we do not contradict them, for neither do we know.

We've had the opposite problem with it raining too often and suppliers not being able to get their second cutting done. Found an ad in the paper today for alfalfa, called and turns out he had some alfalfa/orchard grass mix so we went to check it out. BEAUTIFUL hay, a little heavier on the alfalfa than I like but the horses will love it and their round bales are all grass so the square bales are not used on an every day basis. 3rd cutting from an older guy that really knows how to bale hay, great color and dry, dry, dry YAY!. 50-60 lb. bales @ $4.00 per bale already on the wagon which he will let us use to haul home and then return and only 10 miles from us. I asked him where he'd been for the last 15 years.LOL What a relief to find another good supplier close to home.

I'm glad I got my first cutting when I did because second cutting varies wildly in quality. It's been either soaking wet or bone dry since July and the hay is suffering for it.

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People say I can't multi-task. Well, I can tick you off and amuse myself at the same time.

Not much in the way of rain here, my pastures are crispy.
This keeps up, its going to be nearly impossible to find good clean hay this winter.
Glad I have already stocked up!

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Shari

Weather patterns are strange creatures. My sister & bil live & farm about 76 miles northeast of us and their corn crop was hurt by lack of rain. Our yard and pastures look like it's April/May instead of Aug./Sept. Even my dry lots have grass growing in them.

We buy first cutting round bales but I like my square bales to be at least second cutting. We keep enough of them in stock that we could get through a season without buying any if worse came to worse and I was stingy with it.

Right in the neighborhood, weather is not following the news predictions. South of us 5 miles, predictions seem to exactly correct with rain, storms, fierce winds. So that has been a real issue getting up the 2nd cutting after such late 1st cutting. People are STILL trying for their 2nd cutting. Some have made it, got it in the barn, while others have black windrows in the fields.

We got another few hundred bales of first in last week, only need a couple hundred more. Not the best "looking" stuff, mostly grass and older, but no dust, leaves are firm, no shattering if pulled on. Not a lot of chaff on the trailer after unloading. Should be pretty good for our easy-keeping horses, even in hard cold weather.

Price was good too, farmer even reduced it when we said we would take it all. He had it stacked on his wagons, wanted them empty for next cutting. I think he planned to cut SOON, since the hay in field was up over my knees. First cut must have been sitting on the wagons a while, to get field plants that tall! We told him to call us if he does get 2nd cutting in, even a small bale count.

So anyway, we are still "shopping around" for the last we need to fill the barn. Lots of ads for hay out there. Some pretty high priced though, $5 the small bales. Averages seem to be $3.50-- $4 a 50# bale for good hay.

Boy, am I in the wrong place. Around here square bales go for $7 to $8 each. Round bales are anywhere from $50 to $70 each. My pasture dried up this summer so I need to buy twice as much as usual. Kinda hurts the wallet.

Ken

I went to the hay auction yesterday and got a total of 61 bales. The first lot of 20 I got for $1.50/bale. The 2nd lot of 20 I got for $2.50/bale and the last 21 I got for $3.50/bale. I'd say the bales weighed at least 70 lbs. And, my fingers still hurt from stacking it in my trailer, then unstacking it and stacking it in my hay shelter.