Hay buying blues, part 3

"what stops you from planting and raising your own hay?"

If I had to guess, lack of acrage to grow hay and/or lack of equipment to harvest it....

Here is NW Georgia.

that's to bad. It sucks to be at the mercy of suppliers

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topside1, it seems you have stock. If you're raising beef cattle, I would assume when it comes time to sell your calves, you'll put a reserve bid on your calves insisting that you want not a dime more than you made last year? If have a few dairy cows, you would want less for your milk than everyone else? You needn't bother telling me how tough it is, I managed to feed 100 head of cows during a drought and a single round bale was $140 but it was my choice, I could have reduced my herd but the reality is sometimes it's a buyers market and sometimes it's a seller's market. There are also years where hay sells for less than input costs and the hay sellers take a beating. Don't forget, input costs are getting nothing but higher and they have mortgage payments, equipment payments, repair costs and such and they have to meet their bills too. Unfortunately, in hard time, the small producer gets hurt but it is very wise to set yourself up so you are self contained rather than dependent on another producer.

Wait a minute I'm not complaining at all about the cost of the hay I've purchased. 4x5 for $23.00 is outstanding and squares for $2.25 just makes me even happier. My original point was how can folks in the same tri-county area charge double or even triple for the same product. Either my hay contacts are poor at calculating, fertilizer costs, diesel, their time, twine etc. or they just want to sell hay with a reasonable profit margin attached. Yes I have considered making my own hay plot, but why bother I'm still happy with the price of my winter hay. To me the thought of people buying rounds and re-bailing into squares just to increase value, come on, and non-livestock owners buying hay and re-selling in the dead of winter will continue to bother me for years to come. Ok you guys and gals are right, call off the Dobermans...You win!!!

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TOPSIDE FARMS

Another question was what did I pay last year? 4x5 $15.00 squares $2.00
This year 23.00 and 2.25

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TOPSIDE FARMS

The cost of hay is similiar to the cost of gas. The market will set the price. Those who raise the cost of a bale of hay have no room to complain about the cost of gas. Those who have to buy either have no complaint as no one is making them buy either. When there is a shortage of anything the price will go up. Just part of life and we will all have to get over it.

Even the precious little hay I've seen made in our area looks of dubious food value. It's more tan/brown than green in color. Although cattle prices are up right now, I wonder if prices will begin to depress very soon as folks sell off their herds for lack of Winter feed?

Have you ever did this, because we tried and it is noo fun. the round bales dont unroll the hay very well and it is not loose enough to square bale. stop complaning.

I have no problem with people making a profit. An honest profit that is. I do have a problem with people baling lousy hay and mixing it in with good hay to make the whole load look good. I have a problem with rebaling hay from large round bales to small squares. The hay loses more nutritional value from the extra baling, gets trash and dirt in it, and it ends up costing people up to 2.00 a bale more than a regular square bale does. But in a drought, people will pay it and be glad to get it. I have a problem with people charging double the cost for inferior hay just because they see they can gouge people.

I buy from one person, and have done so for the past 4 years. I pay his going rate and never complain about the price or quality. He is fair and I travel a far piece to get his horse quality hay. My hayguy found hay for me this year even though he knew that I would pay someone else for the hay and he wouldn't get the sale. I am trying to hold out to see if he will even get a first cutting, if so, I will buy the rest straight from the field. If not he is willing to import hay for me. Now that is a good business relationship. BTW - I buy around 650 bales of his hay yearly. Not a great deal, but nothing to sneeze at either. He treats me fairly and I pay him on time with checks that do not bounce. He's guaranteed a certain number of bales sold and I'm guaranteed a source of hay. If I don't use all of it, I can always sell it out of my barn to a few friends who run out about February of each year.

Everyone needs to make a profit, but there is a difference between profit and gouging. Find an honest and reputable hayman and stick with him/her through thick and thin - it's is a good relationship to cultivate on both sides of the fence.

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Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

When I went up to Huntsville to deliver a horse on Tuesday, I saw some people had begun putting out round bales for cows..the pastures were burnt up in many places and what little grass there was available was dirt level.

If cattlemen are feeding rounds now - I imagine they will sell off rather than try to pay the huge costs for feeding herds during the summer and fall.

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Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

Wow. I've not seen anyone feeding with hay here yet, but it might not be long. My brother and I are planning to go to Collinsville tomorrow, and I was wondering how dry it was over there.

I know a couple of guys that rebale their round bales into small squares. The reason is they can get the rounds off the field and under cover alot quicker which results in higher quality hay. They built a machine that they set it on and it slowly unrolls it into a square baler, it then falls unto a bale elevator and they restack it in the building or onto a trailer. Sure they do loose some nutritional value, but not as much as if they would have to leave it in the field a while to pick it up.

Bobg

http://www.haybarn.com/reports/showads.asp?category=Hay

maybe this site will help someone?

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gosh I haven't been to Collinsville in forever!! Have been to Cullman flea market and it was ok..love Collinsville though..so much to see there..wish I could go - lol...but I have to paint my mom's house tomorrow..her help has suddenly become unavailable so it's me and the kid painting.

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Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

Investment 2 tractors,1 haybine 1 square baler 1 tedder and 1 rake equal $37 k. String jumped $20. a bale in 2 years PLus the cost of fuel, fertilizer and lime. I have heard so many complaints over the years that I just refuse to sell Hay to anyone.

Not everyone complains - there are some who do..but that is part of dealing with the public unless the seller is just known to rip people off..in that case there won't be complaints for long - horse folks talk and soon the person would have no customers.

My hayguy and I have an understanding..he sells me quality hay, I don't gripe about the price..he holds my hay for me if I can't take it all at once due to size of my hayshed and I don't write him bad checks or buy from other people..good relationship for both of us..and he sells out to a select customer base every year (this year if he gets a cutting - he will have sold every bale he can put up), even in the great years of perfect weather and so forth, we buy all his hay. His price is fair so what's to gripe about?

A hayman with good product won't have to go hunting customers and the smart ones cultivate a few good customers and therefore don't have to deal with the general public or "Joe Blow" off the street hunting a deal.

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Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

I am in Tennessee also and the dorugt has already killed a lot of grass in my area. Fortunately I keep very few animals for the size of the pastures and have lowland which is still green and growing. My neighbors who keep the limit of their pasture size are already selling their cattle.

Cutters are charging 2/3 of the hay instead of the usual half. This leaves the field owners with very little from a poor yield. The hay is stemmy, coarse and rough but selling at double premium prices. Cattle prices will fall naturally but steak prices will increase, no doubt. The farmer soaks it up backward and forward- and some farmers given the scenario will cut the throat of the neighboring farm. It gives a person the opportunity to see greed in action and generosity and compassion in action as well. What one person views as an opportunity is a detriment to his neighbor. For all the talk of cooperation, seldom do we see that cooperative spirit when times are hard. There is a saying: "a true friend gives what is hard to give." During times of ease, it is easy to be generous. When times are tough is when more people need help and when less help is available.

Since I've moved here I have bought hay from one person. He built my cabin and has been very fair with his prices for very good quality hay. This year he has average hay (drought hay which is what is everywhere anyway) for an excellent price. This will allow me to keep three mares (two of them Belgian draft mares), 6 cows, 29+ goats) for lower prices this year than last year. Otherwise I would be selling my beloved companions. And they are companions; most of them know nothing about earning their keep. Were it not for him, I would be forced into selling, as my neighbors are selling.

I hope everyone in need of hay for their beloved animals is able to find it at a fair price for all involved.

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Tiny Forest ~ my tiny blog

A drought does two things to hay prices.....raises the demand because of limited pasture and stockpiled feed, and lowers supply because of lower crop yields. Both issues raise the price of hay. Last year I paid $260 a ton for fertilizer, this year $390. And that was the lowest I could find of all the suppliers around here. With each bale costing me about 2.00 for fuel, string, fertilizer, lime, labor, and wear and tear, you expect me to make a quarter per bale? If I wanted to make minimum wage, I'd be at Burger King in the airconditioning! In a free country, if you don't like my price, don't buy my hay. If your animals are starving this winter in a blizzard, just remember, next year you should have paid 3.50 and got it up out of the field in the spring instead of waiting til there's six inches of snow and paying 5.00 a bale from the barn! Yes, I charge more in winter than summer...Why? because I was the one who had to sweat and put up all that hay! I just put up 300 +- bales by myself this afternoon, and I don't intend to just break even when I eventually sell it. It's a business, not charity. Gas is up. Fertilizer is up, labor (even if it's my own) is up, let's face it, hay is going up too!

Sounds like your blood pressure is up too....Do what you want; I'm getting great deals on top quality hay each and every year. My original post was about price gouging if you read between the lines. Come buy some firewood from me in the dead of winter...relax and move on…..

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TOPSIDE FARMS