Hay- Price and availability?

[Molly Mckee]

Hay looks to be in good supply in our area this year, but looks are proving deceiving. We have a rather unique situation, but prices are going up as first cutting is baled, and last year hay was in short supply. The reason is that not only are hay buyers buying hay to ship to Asia, but there are hay buyers buying for the California dairy and horse industry. Prices for good hay are between $200.00 & 290.00 a ton, in the field for 1st cutting, and much of it is sold. Much of second cutting is also pre-sold. It is going to be a hard year for a lot of horse people around here, many who don't buy hay until fall.
I would think the California hay buyers will be all over the western part of the country.

What is the hay market in your area?

[Irish Pixie]

I pay $90 a ton (2000 divided by 50 x 2.25 a bale- I'm math challenged but I think that's right) for mixed grass hay out of the field. I need around 300 bales for the two mares.

There's always a lot of hay available here, my area ships down south too.

[Dixie Bee Acres]

In my area, many farmers are struggling to get rid of what remains of last years hay just to make room in the barns for this years.
I helped a local deliver 355 small squares the other day, to a lady with several horses. This was last years second cutting, he still has between 1500 and 2000 bales last I asked.

[SFM in KY]

We're paying between $40 and $50 per bale for the big round bales, price depending on size, between 5 x 5, 5 x 6 and 6 x 6. Grass, sometimes grass with a little alfalfa mixed. Small square bales we're buying at $3.50 per bale, probably 40# bales.

Seems to be plenty of hay available, although our hay guy said several of the farmers he usually buys from have planted either soybeans or corn in some of the fields they had been raising hay on.

[92utownxj]

One of the farms on my road had great hay fields. 100+ acres of the thickest greenest bottom land hay fields. Turns out he leased them to the farmer across the road...I about cried when I saw them turning brown from glysophate. They're now all soybeans. It's a shame.

Small squares are about $3-5 and rounds are $25-50 depending on size and quality. It's hard to find rounds that have been stored inside. Lots of folks selling last years hay still.

[Teej]

Plenty out there so far. We've got our round bales almost a month ago. $35.00 a bale for net wrapped grass hay delivered. I think they're 800 lb. bales.

We've got our order in for second cutting square bales with 2 different suppliers. Mixed grass & a little alfalfa. 3.50 a bale picked up out of the barn. 50-55 lb. bales. Unfortunately our supplier that does the best hay (for the type I like) in square bales isn't going to do any squares this year. The only good thing about that is his small squares weigh 70+ lbs. and the last couple of years it has about killed hubby and me getting them in the barn. I wish like heck we could find someone who would sell, deliver and stack the hay for us.

[aoconnor1]

Hay here is sky high right now. I just paid 26.00 a bale for 3 strand Bermuda weighing approx 100 lbs per bale. It comes out of Arizona, trucked in once a week to our feed store. I was paying 110-120 for round bales last winter, but hope to heck they drop in price. We have had a lot of rain this summer so far, which is great for my pastures! I only graze my guys on my grass, I don't cut it. With good rain, I can keep the herd on pasture long into winter...I have good winter rye in several areas.

[secuono]

$7 to #9 a 50-60# bale. But trying to make my own hay.

[Horseyrider]

Last year I paid $5 per bale for third cutting alfalfa/orchardgrass/timothy, cut at it's optimal place in the growth cycle for nutrition, delivered and stacked. I'm betting it'll be more this year, but I'll pay it. This guy has a real instinct for making top quality hay. I send him a big tip in his Christmas card every year so, in lean years, if he has to make choices about who gets a meager supply, or if he has to start cutting back on customer count, he'll keep me at the head of the line. The farrier gets a tip at the holidays, too.

[carbon]

I just had mine cut and baled last week and it came out to $1.90 a bale. I'm happy with that and I have about 250 bales of clover/orchard grass hay.

[where I want to]

It's over $400 a ton here now and I do expect that California will suck up a lot of hay this year.

[dizzy]

Around here, you have many choices as to where to get your hay. Personally, I prefer to go to the hay auction they have every Tuesday. Prices range depending on what's there, how much is there, and how many people are there. W/the hay that I've bought this year, I'm averaging about $2.75/square bale. W/out weighting them, I figure they weigh about 50 lbs. The cheapest I've gotten was $1.60, the most expensive, $3.50. I won't go over $3.75 since I know someone that would let me get it from the field for $4.00.

I prefer getting it from the auction since it's close, and I'm normally able to get it cheaper. At this time of year, it's not unusual for there to be a ton of good hay there for cheap. My goal is to have all of my hay by the beginning of August at least. It can really be expensive in the winter.

[Kasota]

Running 5-6.50 in my neck of the woods for average sized small squares.

[bergere]

I miss the really good, very cheap orchard grass hay in both the NW WA and NW Oregon.

In this area of VA.......It's 502.00 a ton for orchard grass, that is 2000lbs of hay. Each bale is 30lbs.
There is only one place I can get half way decedent hay that isn't really moldy or so course, it gives my miniature mare colic.
Also have to drive 1 1/2 hours to get it.

You have to stock up before winter, because finding any good hay here in winter, is impossible.

In Oregon, was lucky to be able to hay my place. If I ever needed extra hay, had a number of places to pick up some really nice hay.
I miss the west coast!!

[Molly Mckee]

I'm kind of surprised that the CA hay buyers aren't buying in other places. When the pelleting plants were built in central WA there was a lot more hay grown in central WA so buying as closely as possible make sense, but it does sound like the hay that the CA farmers need could be found in other areas for less.
It is very interesting to hear what others are paying.

[EarthSheltered]

It has been a difficult year to make hay in my part of PA. A very wet, unpredictable Spring, at least the Weathermen don't seem to be able to get their forecasts correct. Luckily, we have a Beef Cow herd that will eat anything the horses won't.

That said, yesterday we pulled in 550 bales of the most beautiful 1st cutting Timothy, and today's field look to be even better. Once I get in the 2000 bales I need, (500 more to go!) I will sell what is left over. I have a list of people waiting for that moment. I'm not sure what we will get in 2nd cutting, but I only need 200 bales of that, so what is left over will be sold for more than ever before. We usually sell at $3.50 a bale (50 lbs or so) but this year it will be at least $4 a bale. Reading what you all are paying makes me feel better about the prices I'm going to have to charge.

I just heard of another farmer who no longer does square bales. Can't get the help, so went to rounds only.

[dizzy]

Has he thought about selling it from the field? I've known of people who do that. That way, they don't have to get the hay out of the field. Some will even have a list of people that want the hay, they just have to call them when they're going to be cutting. And, if they have to help load it, they charge more per bale.

[mulemom]

EarthSheltered we're having a real weather problem in NE Ohio. About ten days of dry weather the first of June-about nine inches of rain since. Lots of hay getting seedy because the fields are too wet to even get equipment into. My hay guy has kept his round bales at 25 for years but had to raise them to 30 this year because of fuel costs. Dizzy-there used to be several farmers around me who sold small squares out of the field. Almost all have stopped because people would say they wanted hay then wouldn't show up to get it. That left the farmer to have to hustle to get help to get it out of the field. They just got tired of the hassle.

[dizzy]

Around here, people say they have it for cheap in the field and they end up turning people away-especially since if the farmer has to put it up, they charge more.

[Serbrider]

I'm not currently buying any hay bc of enough good pasture, but when I bought some about two months ago I was paying $10/bale of 60-80 lb two string bales of coastal grass hay.