Hay Delivery Day!!!

EddieWalker · May 22, 2022

Here in East Texas, I've been able to buy 5 foot round bales for $50 and 6ft bales for $65, for years. With inflation this year being what it is, I expected to pay more for hay.

Yesterday, I found out that a 6 ft bale of clean, fertilized, coastal horse quality hay is $85 each. Delivery went from $60 to $100. I bought 18 bales and I plan on buying two more loads before the end of Summer.

This is what $1,630 looks like. I'm just hoping it doesn't go up before I can buy the rest of what I need for the year.

Jstpssng · May 22, 2022

Yep, I fear that everything is going to go up. My bigger fear is not being able to get staple items at all. The shelves at my local feed stores have been looking rather thin lately.

sixdogs · May 22, 2022

Good looking bales. My guess is hay will go up because it looks to be a hot and dry summer in the USA and that always means pricier hay. (edit)--I'll bet availability becomes an issue.

Below is a map from the Climate prediction center at the Nat'l Weather Service and has worked well for me when I did hay. It shows a nasty summer of hot and dry.

Climate Prediction Center - Official Long-Lead Forecasts

sea2summit · May 22, 2022

I think it was TX Jim here or on hay talk talking about the first cut being so poor/small from lack of rain he was thinking about storing it to see what winter prices would do. My boy and I we’re throwing around that idea ourselves, probably sell the first cut but save second and see what happens this fall.

So, if I was a buyer I probably wouldn’t pass up any quality decently priced hay if I could store it.

oosik · May 22, 2022

My neighbor to the south does custom cutting. I'll have to ask him what hay is going for this year. He works with field grass and clover.

Hay Dude · May 22, 2022

Im thinking about buying a small sq baler and “re-baling” large bales into small bales later this year if prices continue to go well north of $10.

sea2summit · May 22, 2022

oosik said:
My neighbor to the south does custom cutting. I'll have to ask him what hay is going for this year. He works with field grass and clover.

Does he have a pivot or does it grow okay over there?

ponytug · May 23, 2022

Wow, hay is a chunk more expensive here; $400/ton in 100 bale quantities, plus delivery/freight.

https://mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov/filerepo/sites/default/files/2904/2022-05-16/592279/ams_2904_00111.pdf

Hay Dude · May 23, 2022

EddieWalker said:
Here in East Texas, I've been able to buy 5 foot round bales for $50 and 6ft bales for $65, for years. With inflation this year being what it is, I expected to pay more for hay.

Yesterday, I found out that a 6 ft bale of clean, fertilized, coastal horse quality hay is $85 each. Delivery went from $60 to $100. I bought 18 bales and I plan on buying two more loads before the end of Summer.

This is what $1,630 looks like. I'm just hoping it doesn't go up before I can buy the rest of what I need for the year.

View attachment 747151

Do you know what the load of hay weighs? If my math is correct you paid about $102/bale with delivery (16 bales for $1,630)
I was selling a 10 ton load of 4x5 feed hay round bales for $2,000.
22 Bales weighed about 900-950 each.

EddieWalker · May 23, 2022

I have no idea what they weigh. They are 4x6 and tightly wrapped. I've bought 5 and 5 1/2 foot bales with my truck and trailer without any issues hauling a total of 5 bales, but when I first bought these 6 foot bales, I was struggling to haul them. Last year he could only haul 16 of the six foot bales with his Ram 2500, and he was maxed out. This year he has a Ram 3500, which has plenty of power to handle 18 bales.

5030 · May 23, 2022

I'd say you did pretty good Eddie, considering the inflation and the cost of diesel.

Transportation costs are through the roof. Think I'd be looking for the rest ASAP.

oosik · May 26, 2022

Checked on hay prices here in Ea WA state on Tuesday. Alfalfa - $300/ton - 3x4 square bales. 2nd cutting orchard grass - $14.50/standard square bale. Delivery is extra for all types of hay.

5030 · May 27, 2022

You want sticker shock, visit Allhay.com

5030 · May 27, 2022

Hay Dude said:
Im thinking about buying a small sq baler and “re-baling” large bales into small bales later this year if prices continue to go well north of $10.

I toyed around with that very concept a few years back using the 575 I sold. There are a few producers that do it presently but the issues are many for me at least. One, I'd need the room to set up a baler and power it, two I'd need a way to 'unroll' a round and feed it consistently and uniformly into the square baler, three, there becomes the issue of handling and storage again and four the most important part with me at least would be leaf loss from re-bailing the rounds to squares. I have the indoor room but the physical properties of such an operation are huge. I believe there is maybe one of more outfits that off a setup like that to purchase (or you can fabricate your own which is what I considered but decided not to. If you run mostly grass hay, leaf loss is a non issue. I don't. If I were you and you want to go that route, I'd take a had look at a 'Bale baron' which makes small squares and packages them in quantity (like your large squares but in small squares combined into a single large square that you can take to the barn and break down at your convenience and sell individually.

The are not cheap to purchase but achieve the small square's you want without double bailing.

I'm not all that sure the inflated cost per bale this year will continue. All depends on what the economy does.. Why I prefer adding the 'fuel surcharge' to mine. That way I can adjust the per bale cost to reflect the input costs more easily.

ljjhouser · May 27, 2022

Now that is a load. Big trailer. The hay looks good.

QRTRHRS · May 27, 2022

Here in south central KY, I was thankful to get 100 bales of "pasture grass" for 5 bucks a bale at the farm. I had told my friend last year that he was too low at 4 bucks. I drop my trailer at his place and he loads it either off the field or off of a wagon. His bales are decent in weight and clean.

This was May 13th which is early for haying here plus we had a good window. Not so much since then with not enough drying time between spells of rain.

oosik · Jun 7, 2022

So..... my neighbor to the south came by last Thursday. Let me know his cows would be grazing my land longer than usual. Field grass is almost "out growing" their chomping.

He does custom cutting. Says - quality alfalfa hay will be going for $325/ton this year.