Hay Prices Going Up?

We live in north florida,
We have no costal hay( most people would use it for bedding) When we did have it we were paying 6.75 a bale, and 75 a roll.
We were feeding oat hay( corn, wheat ext.. what's left when there done with the crop) it's 6.50 a bale but our feed store ran out of that too this week.
t&a - 14.00 to 16.00 a bale, alf - 16.00 to 18.00 a bale
right now were feeding winter rye grass - 6.50 a bale and it's trash.
We were hoping to get a cut of costal end of april, start of may, but we havn't gotten any rain. So there saying we may not get a frist cut untill june to july. But that is if we get rain.
Rright now, we have 4 fires burning, 2 of which have been bruning for over a week now. Plus the ones in south GA that are birning. We need rain. It's bad to say your waiting on hurrican season to hurry up and come, and praying it brings rain.

I haven't checked the price locally, but have tried to find someone to cut my 10 acres. Nobody wants to come cut it. They say it would cost them more to cut it than it's worth. It must cost a LOT to cut it. The first year we only cut 5 acres and got 22 round bales from it. If we cut the full 10 this year it should be worth cutting. I'll be calling swap shop and running ads in the paper this year trying to find someone to cut it on shares.

Last year I tried to buy a bale from a neighbor and he said hay was in such shortage that he was trucking it in from up north. Maybe this year he'll take me up on my offer to cut it.

ETA: Forgot to add that a couple years ago I was buying square bales of alfalfa for $4 each. I wonder how much they are going for this year.

Hay got so high this year there is now a futures market for it. Some areas have been trading hay for a long time. Like Kansas city board of trade.

You see what a 65 pound bale of orchard grass mix is going for. I can buy them in one area for 8 bucks a bale INCLUDING SHIPPING and sell them for 32.50 a bale delivered. The only problem, I can not get very much cheap orchard grass. They custom grow on contract.

The plastic covered round bales are great protein sources. They due COST a ton more to ship as their moister content is up to 30% at times. Its great feed, just cost way to much to ship. You bale that for your self.

You are right. There are round bales rotting in the feilds. Many of them will rot as they are insurance claims and Round bales are a pain in the but to ship. Some of them have been in the field 3 years. 1 year is too much.

When folks are feeding straw and shooting feeder calfs as to having no feed. THERE IS A PROBLEM. We see that in our current beef prices.

If you are going to bale to ship you bale small square bales or dairy bales that are square 1000 pound bales.

The new lumber bale is getting more use as well for dairy. it is 4 foot by 4 foot by 8 foot. They are great for shipping, yet very heavy for small users.