Alfalfa Prices

200.00 per ton delivered, 50 lb compressed bales, Standlee. All the local stuff is now about 200.00 per ton also, but the hay isn't as consistent and we've found too much mold.

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I couldn't find any last year for less than $8-10 for small square bales, 40-60 pounds. BAD drought year, most of it came in from PA and OH. This year, I found a guy who grows the most beautiful alfalfa, no sprays, very leafy. I got 40 lb bales for $5 each, and 4 x 4.5 foot round bales (about 800 lbs) for $35, first and second cutting. Around here, the prices tend to be high because the very wealthy horse owners around Charlottesville, DC, and Richmond will pay them.

We paid 85.00 a ton here in Western WY last year. Highest we have paid is 120.00 3 years ago.

Same here. I have had people stop and ask if we have hay available because they see our fields, and their usual source switched to corn.

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Andrea

Subman , I am curious, what part of KY are you in, I am in SW TN and alfalfa is just not available down here... Maybe I need to haul a load???

I've been paying about $220 a ton for second cutting (dairy animals). There is a shortage and from what I hear from the feed stores it looks bleak for the winter.

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Idleness is leisure gone to seed

Shortage? There are TONS AND TONS of last year's 2nd and 3rd cutting alfalfa sitting in barns in central oregon. They can't give it away. They raised the prices - remember the same gloom and doom about hay last year? And nobody bought - they fed good valley grass hay (at 3-5 $ a bale) and pellets - which have not risen in price in THREE YEARS. Get yourself a trailer and head anywhere between Redmond and Prineville, south to K Falls. You can load it out of the field for $160 a ton. The feed stores are feeding you the same load of crud they did last year.

I'm in Klamath Falls (well, a few miles outside of town), and yes, when the new crop is ready (I've seen some being tedded in the last day or so, so it will be baled soon) prices should go back down.

Pellets, however, are $12/50 lb. bag, and my goats won't eat them. I buy them for the rabbits, and am trying to teach the goats to eat them so when we travel across the country I don't have to carry bales of hay! How DO you teach goats to eat alfalfa pellets?!? I don't want to starve them to it, as one doe is milking and the other is a baby (two months old now).

I don't know whether to stock up on hay for the winter or not. If this place sells, we'll be moving to Maine, and I'd have to sell the hay. If it doesn't sell, we'll need the hay. Yikes.

Kathleen

Kathleen.....my goats will ONLY eat the Standlee Brand of alfalfa pellets.... I've tried 3 other brands & they won't touch them.

Standlee is better for my money anyways....bright green, smells great & not the least bit dusty! The other brands I tried couldn't compare, were really dusty & there was almost a bucket full of dust at the bottoms of the bags...such a waste.

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Crystal
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I've never seen that brand here, but the pellets we buy are bright green, smell good, and have very little dust. The goats just don't like to eat them. Once the feed store accidentally got some in that were larger, and my goats liked those, but when they ran out the store wouldn't order any more -- said they were worried about being sued if someone's animal choked on them!!! (What ever happened to stores trying to please their customers, anyway? Whole nother thread, I guess.)

What feed stores sell the Standlee pellets? Maybe as I traveled I might be able to find some along the way and stock up.

Kathleen

There is zero here in the Willamette Valley, I would think if there was such a surplus that at least one feed store would bring it in? I haven't seen many ads in the capital press for 2nd and 3rd cuttings alfalfa? I will have to investigate more. We just found ONE guy that had some left over for 4H kids that we had to drive 45 min one way to load up 2 tons.

We have a "hay truck" that fits 2 tons fully loaded that we could drive over to Bend area. I thought we called one of the feed stores over in Bend a few weeks ago looking for alfalfa and they said they hadn't started cutting yet. Hopefully in July. Guess maybe I should keep calling around?

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Idleness is leisure gone to seed

Yes, I would keep calling around. It's grass hay that's being cut right now; the alfalfa is a little slower.

Kathleen

Wow. Those of us in the upper midwest just don't understand such hay prices!!! Grass hay you often get $1.50 to maybe $3 a 60lb bale. Straw is maybe $2 often less, and alfalfa is $2.50 - 4.00 a bale, it's gotta be really good to find $4 for a bale of hay tho.

I'd guess most hay is bought for less than $3 a bale around here, and many times that will include delivery.

--->Paul

[[[.....Shipping fodder across the oceans ........]]]]

The hay fed in Japan is shipped across the ocean from Oregon. They buy compressed bales and load it into cargo containers.

I've seen photos of Afghanistan. It looks to me like nothing grows there. If they want hay, they are going to have to ship it in.

I had to go and look.

First cutting is started. Alfalfa $220 a ton, Orchard grass $250 a ton.

~shakes her head~ Right now, your hay, unless previously contracted, is not going to Japan, or Afghanistan....it is being bought up and brought down to Texas, where we have hundreds of thousands of acres of burned up pastures, a drought, and we are OUT of hay reserves.

A 50lb two-string, square bale of alfalfa at the feed store: $15.00 a bale and rising. No, it is NOT high quality. That being said: Hey Paul! Wanna make a profit? I'll pay you $8 a bale for however many bales of quality alfalfa you can deliver here in Texas.

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Peace,
Caliann

"First, Show me in the Bible where it says you can save someone's soul by annoying the hell out of them." -- Chuck

I have 10 acres of the stuff on the ground and drying. Anyone have a large truck?

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Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.

How many bales does 10 acres generally make? I have a truck and trailer...but I can't pay $8 a bale if I come and get it.

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Peace,
Caliann

"First, Show me in the Bible where it says you can save someone's soul by annoying the hell out of them." -- Chuck

I guess you should. I am in Prineville right now and you can barely see for the dust being kicked up from the mowing/baling. The hay is stacked like mountains in the fields. I live in NW Oregon and know of people with full barns from last year. I have no idea why you can't find any.

I pay between $3.50 and $4.00 per square, 100-125# bale of nice alfalfa.

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