Hay prices this year?

[BQM]

Sold over 500 rolls of mixed grass hay over last few weeks for $30 to $40 a roll depending on quality for 4x5 1/2 netwrapped bales. Put on Dallas area craigs list for one day only and my phone is still smoking . All out now next cutting not looking very promising.

[SCHitemHard]

family ended up goin to pennsylvania to get hay $40 bucks a roll

[mod93dirt]

I feel for ya'll down in Texas. Here in NE OK prices are still low. We just got 25 bales at $30 dollars a piece. We only bought that much this time because he said if we dont get any rain, the price is going to go up as its not looking good for a second cut this year.  If anyone is interested I can talk to the man we get our hay from and see if he is willing to haul to Texas and how much it cost. He cuts a ton of fields and everything we have ever got from him has been good. I know he hauls a bunch around this side of Oklahoma, but dont know if he would be willing to haul to TX.  But it wouldnt hurt me to ask.  I coudn't imagine having to pay $100 a bale.

Hey Mod
Where do you live? I live in Hammon. I might be interested in some of that hay if he still has some. Is it plains or native grass or what?
Thanks, Daniel

Daniel, I am in Coweta, but our hay guy is in Wagoner. I honestly dont know exactly what the hay is, but I know it is always super clean and bright, and our horses love eating it and look real good on it.  He has never done us wrong.  I think I will give him a shout tomorrow just to see what his situation is. Like I said I think we are doing good right now up this way because everywhere I drive right now I see people cutting, or bales sitting in pasture, but the future isnt looking real good if we dont get some rain.  I'l let you know what he has to say.

[Austin]

i dont know were yall come from but there is still a few honest hay farmers around like myself.I sold  my hay for 40 a bale. when my neighbor is gettin 85 a bale. But i remember when i didnt have nothin commin out of high school feedin a few horses and calves we had a dry year and they were gettin a 100 a bale. Right then i vowed if i ever got in the hay business that i would take care of people like myself. We got a sayin about this sort of thing i call it a 'do gooder'  Do gooders never win but i can sleep at night. i dont know if im stupid or not but people always com back to buy more hay.

I am a Do Gooder also, a do gooder for my family and my stock.  Including fertilizer and baling I have $175/ bale in my hay this year. Yeah that is not a misprint, made a whopping .6 bales to the acre.  So does that mean that I need to sell my hay for 40/ bale.  The market is up because the cost is up and the supply is down.  Due to no rain.  I have raised hay, jockeyed hay, custom farmed. My margin was always the same. Just because the hay is 100/ roll doesnt mean the people selling it are making a killing. They are probably actually losing money.  Not trying to be a D**K, just saying if the farmers were to "help" everybody out, then they wouldnt be in business long.

[noelle]

I baled alot of hay and never been nowhere near 175$ a roll into it... Why would anybody cut a field with grass that thin... Makes no since to me to get that far into debt because nobodys gonna pay that much for it and u could just buy hay alot cheaper without the hassle.. Cow hay still 35-45 a roll and good horse hay 65-75 average around here. Guess lucky for us in this area that there is some honest folks and not just hay peddlers

[bailey508]

I baled alot of hay and never been nowhere near 175$ a roll into it... Why would anybody cut a field with grass that thin... Makes no since to me to get that far into debt because nobodys gonna pay that much for it and u could just buy hay alot cheaper without the hassle.. Cow hay still 35-45 a roll and good horse hay 65-75 average around here. Guess lucky for us in this area that there is some honest folks and not just hay peddlers

its real simple to get that far in "debt" with it. $16000.00 hay bailer, $35000.00 tractor, $25000.00 tractor, $10000.00 cutter, $2500.00 rake, $2500.00 trailer, $35000.00 truck, $2-5000.00a year in repairs, and the best for last......$4.00 gallon for fuel.

add all that together and then factor in NO RAIN and .5 bails and acre. you dont have to be a "hay peddler" to figure out we are fighting a loosing battle, but you are guaranteed that the bank still wants their share.

[noelle]

Well I'm sure that sounds great but number one hay equipment is cheaper than that during this dry time, and for two u can't figure the price of hay based on how much Ur equipment cost unless u average out the harvest on the good years and the bad for the life of the equipment and then most folks already have trucks trailers and tractors and such to begin with so that's a factor to some extent but not an affecting factor when Ur talkin about buying hay equipment to go into business in a drought... The fuel is the big factor, but farm diesel is 3.50 so helps a little to run red fuel. New trailer for 2500 and new bailer for 16000? That's a deal... There was never a question about goin into debt if Ur just startin out bailin hay and then the drought... But to figure in the full price of Ur equipment into how many bales u roll plus fertilizer and fuel and .5 rolls per acre is a little excessive... It would have to sell for 200$ a roll on a wet year in that perspective... Hope u see what I'm sayin without taking it as me being a d&@$ about it cuz that's not my intention

[bailey508]

our hay equipment wasnt purchased during the drought, but we didnt pay cash for it either. we still have a yearly farm note to make and the bank dont care if we sell any hay or not. i can honestly say that we have never sold a bale of hay for over $50. we cut most of our hay on halves with land owners. this keeps us in good standings with other land owners and it also keeps us from having to sign lease agreements. we keep what hay we need and sell the rest. just like most everybody else, we aint selling any hay this year.

we rolled a field the other day that last years first cutting it made 125 rolls and the the second cutting made 78 rolls. this year the first cutting made 18 rolls and there want be a second. I dont blame any farmer for trying to sell hay for what he has to to make ends meet. its all in supply and demand. we demand fuel, fuel companies suply it. they get to set the price. thats just how it works.

[TCB-Vince]

Well over here in the wonderful California we don't have roll bale but alfalfa small (which is usually 100 pound bale) bale is going for about $18 a bale.  $230-$265 a ton. Some people are even paying $22 a bale delivered.

[noelle]

I know just what u mean I use to cut alot on halves and sold alot of hay and did custom bailin and for me it was obvious a few months ago that I could buy hay cheaper than I could roll it so I got out this year... I was lucky enough to have made it good weldin on pipelines that my place and trucks tractors dozers and all my farm equipment was paid for cash so I don't have all the overhead... I know the bank still wants their note and u gotta do what u gotta do to make it so can't blame nobody for raisin prices on hay to stay with the goin rate... Just sayin 175$ a bale is a little steep for any area

[bailey508]

i dont think he was meaning that he charged $175 a bale to sell it...I may be wrong but i thought he was cutting his own hay and figuring it cost him $175 a role out of his own pocket. that qouldnt be hard to do by the time you figure equipment notes, fertilizer, leased property, etc etc....you can get that deep in a hurry. I dont know anybody that would buy hay for $175 a role, if you do, give them my number cause i'm selling out the barn. lol

[Purebreedcolt]

Yes he means he has that much in each roll we have had no rain and who did make a first cuttin is not going to get another here.  My boss is out bad on sorghum this year had just enough to make it come up and the faucet shut off. If u live with in 20 or so miles of stephenville you have not seen any rain.

[Austin]

I agree if you know somebody that is paying 175/ bale then let me know.  What I was saying is that I had that much in it.  Mainly in fertilizer. Then by the time I pay for fuel, labor, wrap, and alittle for wear and tear, it doesnt take long to add up.  And as far as not cutting it, I could have turned in on it, but I know where the cows would have camped out also.  So I decided to bite the bullet and cut it and at least get some hay before the grasshoppers and heat destroyed it.  It doesnt matter if you paid cash or have a note on your equipment or if you are custom farming or ranching, what ever you are doing it is a business.  I personally am not in it for my health, and even though I enjoy it, I am in it to make money. Therefore I decided to have something at least for my money invested. Let me know what equipment dealer yall use because mine doesnt care if it is a drought or not.  It cost them the same to make the equipment and the get it hauled in no matter if I am getting rain or not. JMO and experience

[noelle]

Thompson farm and ranch services. Send me a message if Ur serious about buying equipment if I don't have it I can usually get it very far below retail and especially hay equipment rite now. Although I can't tote the note for u I can save thousands of dollars. And I agree I don't get outta bed even for free ain't no need doin it if not gonna make money which is why I bought hay instead of bailing... But it's all part of that easy life of not havin a real 40 hr a week job with a steady check, instead it's more like 4am to 11pm 7 days a week just to b in the negative at the end of the month but I still wouldn't trade it for nothin and ya this yr is bad but gotta take the good with the bad mite take a while to recover the losses but it's the life we chose. I'd b glad to help with anyone needin cow hay but my sources are limited for horse hay rite now. Only advice I have is to pray for rain!!! I hate to hear y'all havin that much into Ur hay crop I do wish y'all the best of luck

[mod93dirt]

Talked to my hay guy this morning here in NE OK, and he said everything he has or is cutting is either already sold or spoken for.  Everyone is buying up  now to stock up because they know its not looking good on down the road.  Said he is doing all he can to try and find more properties to cut to keep up with all the calls he has coming in. He said he has been doing this for 15 yrs around here, and this could be one of the worst years ever. We got good rain early in the season to make for a good first cut, but it has been super dry here as of late, so he says a second cutting isn't looking good at all. I feel bad for ya'll down in TX who have been drier than we are.

[bighogtexasstyle]

i dont know were yall come from but there is still a few honest hay farmers around like myself.I sold  my hay for 40 a bale. when my neighbor is gettin 85 a bale. But i remember when i didnt have nothin commin out of high school feedin a few horses and calves we had a dry year and they were gettin a 100 a bale. Right then i vowed if i ever got in the hay business that i would take care of people like myself. We got a sayin about this sort of thing i call it a 'do gooder'  Do gooders never win but i can sleep at night. i dont know if im stupid or not but people always com back to buy more hay.

i like this ''do gooder''we need more people like you my friend.i give 65.00 a roll for some cow hay the otherday that is'nt worth a crap.AND I BET YOU CAN LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR.

[jtmitchell21]

when it started getting hott i was paying 50 dollars a roll the guy ran out now im getting the big squares fofr 70 a square what do yall think do the big square bails have as much hay and this hay has been in my pasture 3 weeks still not gone the round bails wwould be gone in a week and a half to two weeks from four horses this number 2 is pitaful

[bailey508]

I have never fooled with the big squares. What do they weigh. I know that our bailer is set at 1100 pounds. I have seen heavier and lighter 5x6 rolls but most of the people we cut for have smaller tractors and the front end loaders only have 1500lb capabilities.

[jtmitchell21]

hmm i dunno i kno it took a chain rapped around it to pull it off the trailer the rope broke it was heavy

[Circle C]

The big squares come in 3x3,3x4,and 4x4... The 3x3 alfalfa squares I buy usually weight between 800-900#.    If you were breaking ropes, and seem to have more hay than a 4x5 roll, I would assume you have a 4x4 square.

If my math is correct, a 3x3 square at 850#, would convert to a 4x4 at 1511# per bale.