Hay theft on the rise

[skylarkguy]

I guess given the drought conditions of the past summer Hay is at a premium. Perhaps this is old news to everyone here but this was on the radio tonight

Forget Horse Thieves, Now They're Stealing Hay : NPR

 

[MIKE R]

We had people steal a few square bales About 10 of them. Locking the hay barn put a end to that. And its hard to hide tracks in the fresh snow. If they come back the game camera will be there to catch them in the act. Around here you can't hide everyone knows everyone.

 

[DT86]

That is crazy. All my hay is between the fence and the road. We just don't have that problem here I guess.

I've heard of little pricks setting hay on fire on Halloween before. But never stealing it.

Either one could be devastating to most farmers though.

 

[IndyIan]

I was talking to a dairy goat farmer near me and he said some guys are getting 12 cents a pound for good quality hay... Even first cut outdoor stored bales $70-80 for 4x5's... I imagine a bale or two will disappear around here as well from remote spots and I'm glad my stack isn't visible from the road!

 

[newbury]

I'd say the farmer got off lucky in that they didn't steal the frontloader also!
But it happened on Labor Day and they are just reporting it now?

 

[MIKE R]

I've heard of little pricks setting hay on fire on Halloween before. But never stealing it.

Either one could be devastating to most farmers though.

A few years back we has some idiots light a 100 year old barn on fire. All 1000+ bales a old steel wheel tractor, haying equiptment destroyed. It was quite a sight to see. Sends shivers down your spine.

 

[skylarkguy]

Sometimes it takes time for stories to filter through the news cycle. I don't bale hay on my small place, it would really be a fair amount of labor given the layout and "treeness" of my place, but if the economics start to change then perhaps the small scale hayer (is that a word?) might stand to make a few bucks.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I suppose all that hay in a desolate spot with a loader parked right beside it was too much temptation for the theives. NO LOADER, less likelyhood of bales disappearing. Sometimes convenience for the owner is always convenience for the thief.

 

[edlegault]

We live on the central coast of CA. A lot of small 5 acres "mini ranches" -- people with a horse or two at home. I ran across someone at the grocery store this morning that has a couple horses. He had a half dozen square bales (80 lbs each) of alfalfa in the back of his pickup. I was curious what hay/alfalfa was going for.....(drum roll)....$20 a bale at the local feed store! When he can get it. Wow! No wonder thieves are stealing hay bales!

 

[Soundguy]

yikes.

here, farmers leave full Gn's full of hay roadsdie witht heir tel number on a carb on the side of the hay to call them...

 

[DJ54]

Up North of here about 75 miles, a fellow brought in 800, 45-50 lb. square bales of average 2nd cutting to an Amish community auction on a semi. First bidder made it bring $14.00 per bale. When the auctioneer asked how many he wanted, he told him the whole load...!! 4X5 round bales brought $140.00 ea.

I just did get enough this year to get me through until, if calculations are right..., the end of April. Hopefully the pasture will be greened enough to let them graze.

 

[Soundguy]

my goodness. I got my 4x5 rounds ( 1st cutting, fertalized bahia, barn kept ) for 35$ a pop back in the beginning f october. I feel lucky!

 

[edlegault]

Just saw an ad on CL here in central coast CA for plain grass hay at $17 for square bales.

 

[hodge]

Up North of here about 75 miles, a fellow brought in 800, 45-50 lb. square bales of average 2nd cutting to an Amish community auction on a semi. First bidder made it bring $14.00 per bale. When the auctioneer asked how many he wanted, he told him the whole load...!! 4X5 round bales brought $140.00 ea.

I just did get enough this year to get me through until, if calculations are right..., the end of April. Hopefully the pasture will be greened enough to let them graze.

Wow- and I thought $6 a bale for timothy/orchard grass was high.

 

[DJ54]

Yeah, I remember in years past when we had good hay years, and hauled it to the drought stricken south. Buying here for $2.50, and selling as far south as Florida for $7.00. Now it's the other way around...
Good hay just 25 miles south of here, then runs out 50 miles south of that. Rain tracked weird this year. There would be large pockets of rain coming in, and 30 miles west, or less from here, it would disapate. Just disappear from the radar. Talk about frustrating...

There are people still wanting hay on Craigslist here, offering $2.50-$3.00. Ain't gonna' happen... You cannot make some people understand, it costs near as much to run equipment over 20 acres of hay, whether you get 25 bales to the acre, or 100. Let alone $500+ per ton for fertilizer, etc...

A buddy of mine chopped 40 acres of his corn this year, and used sileage bags to make up for hay. Corn didn't do all that well anyway, so he may come out ahead... Corn around here made about half the norm.

 

[DJ54]

A normal year here, you can buy 1rst mixed for $2.50-$3.00, and 2nd $3.50 and up. Pure Alfalfa usually $5-$6, and up.

Wow- and I thought $6 a bale for timothy/orchard grass was high.

 

[300UGUY]

A normal year here, you can buy 1rst mixed for $2.50-$3.00, and 2nd $3.50 and up. Pure Alfalfa usually $5-$6, and up.

I doubt that we will see 2.50 here ever again. I think the new normal, due to higher inputs is going to be in the $5 range +/- a bit. One thing around here is that a lot of hay ground got plowed up for corn in the last few years. High prices on corn effect everything.

 

[MIKE R]

Was talking to a guy at TSC a few weeks back and he was saying about how much people were paying per bale. Down around Pickford/Rudyard Michigan they grow some of the finest hay around. Most of it gets shipped down to the racetracks. They usually get 2 or 3 cutting, this year only 1. 30 minutes north of there where I am we only ever get 1 cut. This year we were finished by the last week of July. The rest that were baling into August due to the dry weather were getting baked hay. Most people up hear don't do proper maintenance and upkeep of the fields. Every fall the field we do either see manure from the previous years or fertilizer in the spring. There is one guy who was baling up milkweed, willow trees and cattails and selling so called Horse Quality hay for $45 a 4 x4 soft core round.

 

[Soundguy]

been dry here since october..