I heard today from the hay guy

[River1018]

We called our hay guy today as we needed some bales. He told us that he didn't have as much to sell as the corn prices were up so much in our area that they were digging up the fields to plant corn instead of putting up hay.

Its a money issue which you can't blame them, its their living, but worries me if everyone starts doing this.

Its a money issue instead of a drought issue. I guess it just suprised me a bit. I had never thought of that happening. :no:

Wonder what the future holds in our area where hay is concerned. I had thought there was only hay problems when there wasn't enough rain. I guess I learned otherwise.

:

 

[stormy]

If ethanol contines to be promoted as the only viable option to gas all types of animal feed will be going up in price and become harder to get I'm afraid.

We called our hay guy today as we needed some bales. He told us that he didn't have as much to sell as the corn prices were up so much in our area that they were digging up the fields to plant corn instead of putting up hay.

Its a money issue which you can't blame them, its their living, but worries me if everyone starts doing this.

Its a money issue instead of a drought issue. I guess it just suprised me a bit. I had never thought of that happening. :no:

Wonder what the future holds in our area where hay is concerned. I had thought there was only hay problems when there wasn't enough rain. I guess I learned otherwise.

:

 

[Russ]

Hi, yeah these hay prices are nuts here in Iowa too! Farmers did rip up the hay and plant corn/soybeans....to attempt to make some more money. However, it may not work quite out as some thought.....in the past week and half.....corn prices here went from $3.91 a bushel to Fridays price of 3.02 at the local ethanol plant and may still drop lower as the crop looks extra good. The gov't came out with a crop report...finding more corn planted...thus the quick fall in prices.

I farm with my family...we never raised hay....I am searching for hay now too for winter. I am determined to get mine bought now as prices seem to be going up monthly at the auctions. There may be fewer acres of hay but some price gouging is going on in certain areas....JMHO

Granted some areas do have droughts, floods etc. but those who do have decent plentiful hay crops like my area....seem to want to take the BIG jump in prices....just because they can.

What I don't like hearing is this attitude I heard of 2 hay farmers talking in a gov't office....their concensus was the ''horse'' people will pay anything for hay because they have to have it. As I turned around with my mini t-shirt on and gave a choice look....I just smiled and said, "ya think so huh?''

Keep searching...lock it in and get your needs covered. My best advice....with a cold winter always possible...who knows where the prices will end up. Not trying to be negative....just preparing just in case.

 

[shortymisty]

I do believe the government has asked the farmers to beef up their corn crops by 10% becasue of the ethanol issue. We have so many corn fields here now and no hay fields. They grew hay the first of the year but it first of May and then corn, corn and more corn. If it gets too hot down here we're going to have pop - corn. OK, just a little joke in the middle of this mess. :lol:

 

[Russ]

Just wondered, has anyone noticed a increase in alfalfa pellets or cubes yet?

My dealer just took a price jump in alfalfa pellets....a 1.25 a bag...not a big deal but I just realized the price increase in alfalfa may also effect the feed processer manufacturers also.

 

[Loess Hills]

We recently bought a couple bales of alfalfa from the feed store and it was $5.00 a bale!

We have enough land, and beautiful brome grass to have our own hay put up. But the guy who cuts and bales for us is now charging $2.00 a bale. His gas costs and labor have gone up, also. Then we can buy additional square bales for $3.00 a bale. It's wonderful grass hay...........but we also limit our number of horses!

 

[Soggy Bottom Ranch]

We have a small hay field here, and we haven't been able to get a second cutting off in two years. It gets so dry that nothing grows, and turns brown. We were able to take 250 bales off for first crop, but it's been pretty darn close the last couple years, that we've come close to running out. We even worry sometimes about having to buy, and where we'd buy. The farmer on the end of the road always sells out quite early. This fall we're finally going to try to get a couple extra fields planted, so that even if we only get one crop, we'll have plenty of bales to make it through.

I hope all of you that are searching for hay find enough to get you through!

 

[SilverDollar]

Oh boy, I don't like to hear this. No wonder there are doubts as to whether I'll be able to get the 250 bales of orchard grass hay I ordered. There was another post about hay prices (yeah, I'm lucky enough to live in Southern California and I get to pay over $18/100 lb. bale of orchard grass--$360 a ton. I can hear your sounds of envy.

: )

Unfortunately, there IS a drought out here but the corn crops don't sound like they're helping anyone anywhere. Can't blame the farmers, though. Money is money. Ugh!

 

[minifancier]

Why is this such a surprise to anyone? Months ago I mean Months ago on farm reports, they said there was going to be More Corn planted this year then since the early 1940's~!!

And it did happen. Don't people that have horses and are tied to the Ag business, listen to Ag talk at times on radio, just to find out what is happening in agriculture?? or even pick up a Ag paper once in awhile to see what is happening.

The acreage planted this year in corn went from 75 Million acres last year to over 90 million acres planted in corn this year.

In fact I have already changed hay suppliers this year because I knew this was going to happen, and SURE enough the guy I had been buying from planted one big field into corn. Where my other supplier JUST crows hay and does not crow hay for farming but has horses and plants hay for Horse People~!

 

[River1018]

Ah Minifancier,

No I don't really keep up on that, when we have been buying hay for YEARS and have never had it happen and have never had anyone do that for miles around, you don't think of it. Im sure there are things that each one of us, including yourself, don't know about.

 

[NoddalottaFarm]

Hey all!

This is my first post ever, so I apologize if it looks boring...I'm trying to figure out all of these buttons.

We have yet to hear from our hay guy this Summer. He's retired, and all he does is bale and sell hay. Last year we got 60 pound bales for $3.50 each. He has people actually send semi's up to his farm and buy hay. I'm hoping he's just on vacation because he has the best grass hay at the best prices. I don't know where I'd go if he quit selling hay. We're low on hay now, and like to buy in Summer for the next year. Here's hoping everyone can find good hay at great prices!

Diane G.

Noddalotta Farm

Illinois

 

[River1018]

Hello from Minnesota NoddalottaFarm!

Its great you are starting to post! :bgrin

 

[Minimor]

We've still got lots of hay here--a real good crop of it too because of more rain in the spring. Unfortunately the weather isn't co-operating so that the farmers can get it off in good shape. Grass hay is scarce at the best of times. I had some big square bales hauled in a few weeks ago. The guy assured me they were wonderful quality orchard grass, $80 a ton. Yeah, sure. I should have refused the load when it arrived, but from the outside it's impossible to tell just how bad the hay is. I got 3 bales of "okay" orchard grass, and the other 24 bales are coarse alfalfa, weeds and coarse, dried out ????junk grass. The waste of money is bad enough, as is our grass hay shortage, but now I'm left with a mess of weeds & unusable hay in our side pasture--more work to haul it to the dump.

My alfalfa/grass hay supplier is charging $4.25/bale for 65-70 lb bales this year (delivered) and remains to be seen if he gets any off dry & without rain. I picked up 2 big bales from him last week--supposed to have been baled dry but in reality the hay was heating. Since I opened both bales right away I'm hoping most of the hay will be okay.

I just hauled in 70 bales of "25-30% alfalfa" grass hay, $3 each plus it cost me $50 or $60 in gas to haul it home (last year's hay)--in reality most of the bales are more like 50-75% alfalfa, and I got maybe 15 that are straight grass.

Called on some brome hay this morning for $3.65 a bale, delivered, 55 lb. bales. I'm hoping this hay works out, but depends too if the weather behaves this week. The hay was cut just yesterday so won't be baled for a few days yet.

Then there's another fellow that sells timothy for $4 delivered, but his hay won't be ready until the end of this month--am counting on some of that too.

We need about 2000 bales for the year, so finding hay can be a worry, between drought or too much rain...so far around here I haven't heard of anyone working up their hay fields to plant corn, so I hope it doesn't happen!

 

[chandab]

I just got back from picking up 44 small square bales grass hay at $2.50 each picked out of the field. Same field last year, the bales were $2.00 each.