baling rates

[gwithrow]

I need some info on the going rates for round baling hay..my fields, cut and round baled...????? my neighbor did a field for me and charged the same as it would have cost me to buy it...but it was my field....??I expected to pay them for the use of their machinery and for the labor, but it seemed a little high......as always we should have settled on the charges beforehand...my mistake...they were not interested in taking a portion of the hay for their reimbursement..I guess I will feel better if I am wrong about feeling a little taken...

[jeff1981]

typically it is done "on the halves" - you provide the land and the hay, they provide the machinery and labor, and you each get half the hay. In terms of the cost of having the work custom done and you keeping all the hay, it should cost you about 2/3 as much as it would cost to purchase the hay.

[agmantoo]

gwithrow,

I have a small well fertilized field near my home that makes good hay. A local person was asked by me what his fees would be. He told me that for his round baler and for him to cut and rake he would take all the hay. I asked would he be fertilizing any after the haying? His answer, no that is the responsibility of the owner. So for the forfeiture of the hay and the nutrients it contained, I would have gotten the field cut. That is close to what you got also. Let this be a learning lesson for both of us. For your operation, extend your rotational grazing and buy the hay you need and put the surplus forage nutrients back to the soil. I have read that a large round bale can contain as much as $28 worth of fertilizer. I will bushhog my surplus.

[gwithrow]

so if the going rate this year is 15-20 in the field, I should expect to pay say 10-15 per bale? ...they were asking me 15 per bale, but that is what they are charging for the hay they bale in their own field....I wanted to know what others pay for baling...

[Molly Mckee]

Here in WA state it's 2/3 to3/4 of the hay to the baler, I don't know anyone who will custom bale any more, it's not worth it. It costs just about as much in fuel to cut and bale a poor field of hay as it does a good one. Was this field planted in hay and fertilized? Or was it local grass and weeds? Did the guy baling put covers on the bales? Was the field clean and in good shape or ruff and full of stones, junk, or down fence?
If the field wasn't a really good hay field it may well have taken the time, the fuel, and twine and parts to justify the cost per bale. In fact, it may have cost that much without the labor, and your neighbor actually lost money on the deal.
Custom baling costs depend on what it costs the baler to bale a field. Hay prices depend on the market, and go up and down rapidly this time of year. The two are like apples and onions--not the same. If there is a lot of hay on the market, it will be cheaper--but the baling cost is the same.
So you probably didn't get taken, but maybe you didn't understand what you were buying. Molly

[rambler]

Ten bucks for round baling per bale is pretty good. I'll figure a small field, & the fella might have to travel a little ways?

Five bucks for mowing & raking it is also pretty cheap.

So, $15 per bale for making hay is a good deal.

Diesel is expensive, and parts in the past 10 years have become _frightfully_ expensive. Just no money in cusom baling any more, even at those prices.

When he makes his own hay, he can do it on his schedule, close to his shed, without fear of damage from holes, posts, debris in the stranger's field. I'm surprised he isn't charging a bit more for his hay, but - it's not unusual for excess hay to be sold for about what it costs to custom bale it.

--->Paul

[sammyd]

8 bucks a round bale around here last I checked into it.
Cutting and raking don't know.

Originally Posted by jeff1981

typically it is done "on the halves" - you provide the land and the hay, they provide the machinery and labor, and you each get half the hay. In terms of the cost of having the work custom done and you keeping all the hay, it should cost you about 2/3 as much as it would cost to purchase the hay.

That's how it's done around here, too.

[Joshie]

Here's it's about $25 to cut, rake and bale round bales. They sell for $25 to $30. Ours just got baled today. It's no good to us. We told our hay guy, who has cattle, to just take it. He usually cuts it for half. Hope is that we'll get him to carry it down from the field when he does second cutting because we gave him this cutting.

How often do you fertilize?

[DaleK]

Last year I was baling 4x5 hard cores for $8 and guys were lining up to undercut me so I quit baling other people's hay and saved myself some money.

[travlnusa]

Mowing/conditioning $12/acre

Raking $5/acre

4x5 Round Bales Net Edge wrapped $9 each

[HilltopDaisy]

I don't think anyone around here is gonna cut and bale for someone else, for any price. They're too busy getting their own hay in.

[gwithrow]

agman, I get it now, all the other fields will just be cut by us...no more hay production for us...we will buy small squares, cheaper, no waste and since we use so little hay it surely is not worth it....the worst part of all of it, is that I really don't like the round bales, they are too hard for us to handle....and store....the original plan was for the neighbor to do the small bales...when he couldn't, the hay was already cut and raked...so we just rolled it up....now I will just sell it for what it cost me...and no, we didn't fertilize the field... I would agree, lesson learned here....someone asked if the rolls were net wrapped, no, just baling string...

[bruce2288]

In central Nebraska: windrow $13/ acre Bale $10/ bale

[7thswan]

15 per acre to cut and rake. 10 dollars to bale each bale. Our bales are 5x6.

[clovis]

$15 for a round bale is a DEAL...rather it is a STEAL around these parts.

[ergoman]

I sell all my hay, needed 15 round bales for a customer. I cut and raked, local farmer charged 6.50/bale for 600lb net wrapped bales. I sold for 35 each.

[Callieslamb]

If I had to pay my baler, it would be $20 per large round and $1.50 per small square. But he takes 1/2. This year, I am paying him to bale it rather than giving him half.

[js2743]

i charge $12 to cut, rake and bale 4x5 rolls. southwest virginia

[Ross]

7-8 per round bale. Fuel is up so maybe a little more but not 15. I make 5.5x5.5 1800lb + bales