The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Hay Dude]

California grows LOTS of grass and hay. Much of the Alfalfa is exported. Timothy has always costed double. I always preferred a grass hay mix. I don't buy it anymore so I have no dog in this race. Just saying it has tripled in price since 1990. and I'll bet that Timothy or Orchard grass is $30 a bale.

Tell us what hasn’t tripled since 1990?
A 50lb bale of hay was $3 here in 1990. Now 35 years later, it’s like $8.

I always viewed horse owners as people with an expensive hobby. Since most make no money or profit off of their horses, they can’t help but try to beat down the prices of everyone who supplies them with feed, straw, vet bills, fencing, etc.

I like the horse hay customers I have. I run the cheap ones or the picky ones down the road. I just tell them “there’s always someone cheaper than me, go buy from them. I’m always out of hay”.

 

[deserteagle71]

California grows LOTS of grass and hay. Much of the Alfalfa is exported.

Exported?? My understanding is that most of the alfalfa grown here in northern Nevada is exported to California?

 

[Hay Dude]

Back in the mowing tractor. No rain for 48 hours. That’s a pretty rare event here this summer.
But it’s cloudy and the threat of rain is still significant.
This one is mushroom hay for sure. Plenty of weeds present.

 

[Peter 315]

Tell us what hasn’t tripled since 1990?
A 50lb bale of hay was $3 here in 1990. Now 35 years later, it’s like $8.

I always viewed horse owners as people with an expensive hobby. Since most make no money or profit off of their horses, they can’t help but try to beat down the prices of everyone who supplies them with feed, straw, vet bills, fencing, etc.

I like the horse hay customers I have. I run the cheap ones or the picky ones down the road. I just tell them “there’s always someone cheaper than me, go buy from them. I’m always out of hay”.

The wife and I don't beat anyone down on prices. We pay cash for the hay and show up on time to pick up the hay and pay the asking price if the hays not good we just go somewhere else. I just got 175 bales for 7.00 a bale that was the asking price...

Not trolling your thread just made a comment..

 

[Hay Dude]

The wife and I don't beat anyone down on prices. We pay cash for the hay and show up on time to pick up the hay and pay the asking price if the hays not good we just go somewhere else. I just got 175 bales for 7.00 a bale that was the asking price...

You must have quite the guilty concious. I never said you beat anyone down on price.

Not trolling your thread just made a comment..

Your previous comment “your a funny guy” IS a troll of my thread.
Maybe you don’t know what trolling is. Post # 1,533 is a perfect example.

 

[Peter 315]

The wife and I don't beat anyone down on prices. We pay cash for the hay and show up on time to pick up the hay and pay the asking price if the hays not good we just go somewhere else. I just got 175 bales for 7.00 a bale that was the asking price...

Not trolling your thread just made a comment..

I always viewed horse owners as people with an expensive hobby. Since most make no money or profit off of their horses, they can’t help but try to beat down the prices of everyone who supplies them with feed, straw, vet bills, fencing, etc.

Thats what you said Im just saying we don't....

 

[Peter 315]

These cheap-azz horse owners have been screwin hay farmers forever

You don't think thats funny .. I did....

 

[Hay Dude]

These cheap-azz horse owners have been screwin hay farmers forever

You don't think thats funny .. I did....

You didnt say what said I was a funny, you said “your a funny guy”.
Don’t try pulling more of your BS on me.
You don’t want to know what I’m thinkin right now, troll.
Been a tough summer and your juvenile word game comments aren’t making it any better.

 

[Hay Dude]

I always viewed horse owners as people with an expensive hobby. Since most make no money or profit off of their horses, they can’t help but try to beat down the prices of everyone who supplies them with feed, straw, vet bills, fencing, etc.

Thats what you said Im just saying we don't....

Do you know what the word “most” means? It means the majority, not all.
Since you think you say you fall outside of the category of most, send me your address and I’ll send you a prize.

 

[Hay Dude]

Wow you sound like a very angry person if one comment sets you off like that.

Its the disrespect you show. And it’s not the first time, either. You’ve made comments like this more than once.

Well so much for free speach.

You can have all the free speech you want, just don’t act like a victim when you say crap about someone and they push back on you.

One thing I learned in life is you never know what another man has been through. If you show respect first, which you did not, you’ll almost always get respect in return

 

[Peter 315]

Its the disrespect you show. And it’s not the first time, either. You’ve made comments like this more than once.


Really when ? Didn't I go look at a truck for you a few years back...

I guess you took the funny guy comment the wrong way..

 

[LHF2019]

Timothy has always costed double.

It should for what it takes to make a good clean timothy crop. I still have thoughts of putting in a small field. Know what price I would sell it for and it probably wouldn't move. $7

There is no money in hay because nobody will pay what it is worth. And you have everybody selling there's for no money. I'm $3 out of the field and still don't have enough customers to clear the fields.

I'll sell 2nd cutting out of the barn for $6 and it won't move and that is if I can get any extra. 1st will be $5 this year. 1st 4x4 round bales will be $55. That represents a 5% savings over the equivalent amount of square bales but everybody thinks that is to much. They think they should be $25

A 50lb bale of hay was $3 here in 1990. Now 35 years later, it’s like $8.

 

[Hay Dude]

It should for what it takes to make a good clean timothy crop. I still have thoughts of putting in a small field. Know what price I would sell it for and it probably wouldn't move. $7

There is no money in hay because nobody will pay what it is worth. And you have everybody selling there's for no money. I'm $3 out of the field and still don't have enough customers to clear the fields.

I'll sell 2nd cutting out of the barn for $6 and it won't move and that is if I can get any extra. 1st will be $5 this year. 1st 4x4 round bales will be $55. That represents a 5% savings over the equivalent amount of square bales but everybody thinks that is to much. They think they should be $25

Exactly

 

[RayIN]

It should for what it takes to make a good clean timothy crop. I still have thoughts of putting in a small field. Know what price I would sell it for and it probably wouldn't move. $7

There is no money in hay because nobody will pay what it is worth. And you have everybody selling there's for no money. I'm $3 out of the field and still don't have enough customers to clear the fields.

I'll sell 2nd cutting out of the barn for $6 and it won't move and that is if I can get any extra. 1st will be $5 this year. 1st 4x4 round bales will be $55. That represents a 5% savings over the equivalent amount of square bales but everybody thinks that is to much. They think they should be $25

Big round bales of ordinary grass were selling for $25/bale 40 years ago here.

 

[LHF2019]

Big round bales of ordinary grass were selling for $25/bale 40 years ago here.

And there were 5x5 for $35. I'm $34 out of the field for a 4x4 bale and they will be $55 this winter.

 

[Hay Dude]

Damn thats a bargain for hay.
You look at hay farmers in MY area and all their equipment is old, used, etc.
My dealer just sent me an offer for a Claas 450T single rotor rake $20,500!!!
I bought the exact same rake in 2018 for $12,500.

 

[Gregster613]

Damn thats a bargain for hay.
You look at hay farmers in MY area and all their equipment is old, used, etc.
My dealer just sent me an offer for a Claas 450T single rotor rake $20,500!!!
I bought the exact same rake in 2018 for $12,500.

Isn't that a darn shame (or a crime) too -- For 8 years an 1150.00 a year mark-up!!

 

[Hay Dude]

Today was just another day of the same threat of Thunderstorms. Sunny, then threatening black clouds. This has gone on for 3-4 weeks almost every day.

I have deployed a new raking/baling strategy……..only rake what you can bale in about 20 minutes. Here I am this afternoon in partly sunny, hot & humid weather baling only like 4 or 5 rows at a time, never knowing when the skies will open-up. Anyone who bales hay knows the misery of hay thats been raked and rained on.

This is a small HOA customer I do the hay, rotary-mow some other fields they don’t want baled, and clean up downed trees.

Same HOA. This fields hay was trashed with multiple days of rain.

Hoping for some improved weather, but it aint looking good.

 

[Gregster613]

Today was just another day of the same threat of Thunderstorms. Sunny, then threatening black clouds. This has gone on for 3-4 weeks almost every day.

View attachment 3795489


I have deployed a new raking/baling strategy……..only rake what you can bale in about 20 minutes. Here I am this afternoon in partly sunny, hot & humid weather baling only like 4 or 5 rows at a time, never knowing when the skies will open-up. Anyone who bales hay knows the misery of hay thats been raked and rained on.

View attachment 3795490

This is a small HOA customer I do the hay, rotary-mow some other fields they don’t want baled, and clean up downed trees.


View attachment 3795545


Same HOA. This fields hay was trashed with multiple days of rain.

View attachment 3795546

Hoping for some improved weather, but it aint looking good.

Man, you are sure having some temperamental weather!! Hard for me to figure out how you can even make any hay under those conditions! Any type of wet hay always caused mold and over-heat situations for us and we only made 2x4 small bales. Wishing you some stable weather.

 

[mrmikey]

Those are some beautiful looking spots HD, especially that last one, as usual the pics are great.