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09/08/11, 11:15 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 24,108
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South Dakota Hay (cross post from equine forum)
Thought I would post this here too since there are so many smart hay people here 
My hay guy hurt his back and won't be able to supply me this year. Panic!!!
So I'm looking for hay and found some Intermediate Wheat Grass mixed with Alfalfa. I have never heard of this. I googled it and got some facts on it but would like to hear if anyone has ever fed it and what your thoughts on it would be. I am VERY picky about hay. The seller knows this. I won't be able to see the hay before delivery but if it looks like carp I will refuse unloading it. I need it for my horses and goats and will be buying 200 bales. The price is $3.00 a bale plus fuel to deliver (150 miles) 50-60lb bales. no rain/no ditch.
Thoughts??
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09/08/11, 11:16 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 2,981
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No idea, but good luck! I fret EVERY year until I have my (all purchased  ) hay in my shed.
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ADGA Nigerian Dwarf and MDGA Mini Mancha goats for show, home use and pets www.dbarjacres.webs.com Located in North central Wisconsin
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09/08/11, 11:26 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 24,108
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dbarjacres
No idea, but good luck! I fret EVERY year until I have my (all purchased ) hay in my shed. |
I know!! Hay causes me more stress than anything else. 
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Teach only Love...for that is what You are
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09/08/11, 11:39 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Carthage, Texas
Posts: 12,261
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$3/bale? What's the downside? Baled 'weeds' bring over ten bucks a bale here. GF saw someone nearby having $9/bale, in the field, an hour and a half away.
Not a clue, but sounds like some alfalfa field is on it's last leg (have to be replanted every three years or so) and wheatgrass is invading.
Seriously, I'd take a tractor trailer load, sight unseen. But that's me... in a hay needing bind.
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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming
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09/08/11, 11:48 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 24,108
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He has 700 bales Texican. I can give you his email. I know you all are hurting down there Grass hay around here is usually $3-$4 a sm sq bale.
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Teach only Love...for that is what You are
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09/08/11, 12:47 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 16,312
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Yeah, and b y the time U pay for his gas, You can buy Neb hay alot cheaper lol
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09/08/11, 01:05 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 207
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Depending on the time of the year that the hay was put up, the Intermediate Wheat may be a bit more stemy than brome, orchard or timothy grass hay. But, if the guy is selling this much hay he probablly knows what he is doing and it will be fine. Either way it makes great feed, just better the earlier in the yr it is put up. Have the guy you are buying it from take some pics and send to you.
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09/08/11, 01:07 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 9,129
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My Dad seeded Intermediate wheat grass in a couple of small grain fields that he planted back into pasture. Hayed it a couple of years until it got a good start and then just used it as pasture. I also bought some big bales of it one year out of NE Montana when we ran out of hay in a long, hard winter. Cattle and horses both liked it and as I remember it was a 'clean' hay ... not much dust ... had to put it up quick though as it was fine stemmed and dried quickly.
We had a good early spring here in KY and good lst and 2nd cuttings but most aren't getting a third cutting ... very dry in August. Our hay guy called and asked how many of the big round bales of alfalfa and alfalfa/grass mix we were going to need this winter so he could keep that many back for us. Said a dairy outfit had just bought 100 bales of the alfalfa from him and wanted 100 more, but without a third cutting 100 more was about all he had and would keep what we thought we would need back.
Thank goodness for thoughtful people!
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09/09/11, 06:45 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 319
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SFM, you didn't but your big bales from me did you? I'm in NE Montana and we've sold big rounds in the past. We have alot for sale this year too. Ours is crested wheat with some brohm and alfalfa. I'm not sure if crested wheat is the same as intermediate but my cows and horses seem to do well on it.
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09/09/11, 06:50 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 9,129
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mtfarmchick
SFM, you didn't but your big bales from me did you? I'm in NE Montana and we've sold big rounds in the past. We have alot for sale this year too. Ours is crested wheat with some brohm and alfalfa. I'm not sure if crested wheat is the same as intermediate but my cows and horses seem to do well on it.
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I don't think so. These were the big square bales and there wasn't any alfalfa in them at all. (Early 1990s so probably close to 20 years ago)
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09/09/11, 07:05 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 319
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Nope, wasn't me then.
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09/09/11, 07:07 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,533
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I got 3x3x8 big bales yesterday. They were second cutting, alfalfa and orchard grass. Guy was charging $50 each for them. He said he'd been selling them down to TX. I asked what they got on the other end--$250-$260 EACH.
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09/10/11, 05:40 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Ozarks
Posts: 512
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I'm no expert on hay, but here's what I know: DH planted several fields to alfalfa several years ago (more than 7, but I don't know how many more). The intermediate was sowed with the alfalfa to act as a cover crop until the alfalfa (travois) got established. This was part of a conservation district program, so basically he planted what he was told to plant. We typically graze our weaned calves on those fields in the fall after we haul the bales home, and we feed the hay to the herd (replacement heifers, bulls, pregnant cows and weaned calves) through the winter. I don't know how it does for horses, because DH won't have one on the place. We supplement the cows very little some winters, and not at all during others. When we had the intermediate/alfalfa hay tested several years ago, I believe it tested out at around 9% crude protein, but of course weather conditions can make a lot of difference in the same field from year to year. This has been such an incredibly wet summer for us that I suspect we may need to supplement protein this winter, but we haven't had the hay analyzed to know for sure yet.
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09/11/11, 10:07 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 24,108
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceilismom
I'm no expert on hay, but here's what I know: DH planted several fields to alfalfa several years ago (more than 7, but I don't know how many more). The intermediate was sowed with the alfalfa to act as a cover crop until the alfalfa (travois) got established. This was part of a conservation district program, so basically he planted what he was told to plant. We typically graze our weaned calves on those fields in the fall after we haul the bales home, and we feed the hay to the herd (replacement heifers, bulls, pregnant cows and weaned calves) through the winter. I don't know how it does for horses, because DH won't have one on the place. We supplement the cows very little some winters, and not at all during others. When we had the intermediate/alfalfa hay tested several years ago, I believe it tested out at around 9% crude protein, but of course weather conditions can make a lot of difference in the same field from year to year. This has been such an incredibly wet summer for us that I suspect we may need to supplement protein this winter, but we haven't had the hay analyzed to know for sure yet.
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Thank you!
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