Hay....You got any!!

[J2F]

Farm.com is reporting that if current usage of hay continues US will be completely out by May according to some annalist  !!! OCJ reported a truck load (pick up truck bed) went for 450 dollars right before Christmas. What is everyone's thoughts? How is your hay supplies holding up? How many hoping for a early spring?

 

[M-n-M Cattle Company]

We are located in Pennsylvania and are paying $20 for 4x5 round bales of decent quality grass hay out of West Virginia and Virginia. It is about 45 mins away from us, so the trucking isn't too bad either. Right now the guy we have been getting it from has about 4 more loads and then we will have to switch to another guy that we have lined up.

 

[wiredangus]

I couldn't buy hay that cheap if it was the best hay producing year on record out here!!! Care to post your suppliers number  ;D

 

[Bilmar]

I sold 250 rolls (4x5) lats year 2011 and still feeding 20011 bale now have 50- 60 before starting 2012 hay. Made enough this year, that no need to make any in 2013, if we don't want. I feel for the folks paying alot for hay.

 

[Mueller Show Cattle]

Hay was very hard to come by for me out here in the Rocky Mountain region. If this drought continues, I will buy a semi and register it in the ranch name and do non for hire hauling of hay for myself as I have a class A CDL. I bought semi load of hay out of Canada this year and then my trailer load (10 ton) of hay and my trailer load (10 Ton) of baled corn stalks. With the cost of shipping included, hay was cheapest for good alfalfa grass hay out of Canada as it was just under 600 miles of shipping from the supplier in Canada to me. I found cheaper hay in Minnesota but with shipping it was more expensive. I think there will be hay around this spring, just depends on how much you are willing to pay for it, I have enough hay and corn stalks to get by till June, so I should be good to go. But will start hauling my own hay if this drought continues with buying a semi as you can buy used semi's for under what the cost of alot of pick ups cost.

 

[coyote]

My son is hauling hay into Montana. If anyone is looking for hay there you can get a hold of me.

 

[Diamond]

We put up more then we ever have, I have enough for this year and well into next thankfully. I usually am buying feed this time of year, let alone sell some as we have been.

 

[M-n-M Cattle Company]

I couldn't buy hay that cheap if it was the best hay producing year on record out here!!! Care to post your suppliers number  ;D

I would if I didn't need it He line our hay up in the summer that way we are locked in at a good price. We also replanted 50 acres this year so hopefully we will need to buy less hay this year. It helps living in a region that has less intensive winters, we didn't start feeding hay until mid Nov. and if last year repeats itself we will have grass in mid March. If you are looking for hay this far east though there are a lot of people in Virginia and West Virginia that have 4 x 5 bales of grass hay for $20. I just read an ad last night in the "shopper paper" we get that a guy had 100 4 x 5's for $20 or all of it for $1700. People in our way are looking to move it and make deals right now...

 

[CMB]

Hay is very high here in Indiana. Good quality small hay is selling on a regular basis for $325-$400 ton. Sometimes more! Large hay has been averaging around $250 a ton. We figure we're spending $4 per head per day. That's over two times more than we have ever spent.

 

[J2F]

I was kind of hoping for a little more, I don't have enough I got more than enough I could sell you some. This is a "community", must not be as bad as reported. I would love to offer some but I have just enough( I hope) and not very good quality, I am having to supplement.

 

[flacowman]

After a drought a few years ago we basically built enough storage to ensure that we would always have 2 years' supply.  We had a great hay year last year and sold a bunch of older hay to rotate through the stock.  That being said, even in the southeast hay is starting to get somewhat scarce and fairly expensive.

 

[obie105]

There is hay around you just have to be willing to pay for it. We get hay from the same guy every year and his prices havent changed much at all over the past 4 years. I also know of another guy sitting on 500 bales so when people run real low he will get what he wants for it. Dont really agree with it and I kinda hope he gets stuck with all of it.

 

[TPX]

We are currently sitting on a minimum 3 years supply. We always keep at least 2 years supply on hand.  With the last two years being great hay growing weather in our area we have had some great hay crops and a lot of hay is heading south.  My office faces a highway that heads to the nearest border crossing and there is anywhere from 5-15 trucks of hay a day that go by. 

 

[J2F]

There is hay around you just have to be willing to pay for it. We get hay from the same guy every year and his prices havent changed much at all over the past 4 years. I also know of another guy sitting on 500 bales so when people run real low he will get what he wants for it. Dont really agree with it and I kinda hope he gets stuck with all of it.

Well it is a business. I am not sure that is a good business practice and will get you many repeat customers but hay people are in it to make money too. But like you said he is risking getting stuck with it or taking less then if you would sell now.Like they say in the stock market and hog farms piggy's get slaughtered. Greed is the #1 business killer in the country in any aspect of our economy. When people start only thinking about money and loose site of custom and employee care and satisfaction or longevity of and operation it goes down hill quickly. 

 

[firesweepranch]

There is hay around you just have to be willing to pay for it. We get hay from the same guy every year and his prices havent changed much at all over the past 4 years. I also know of another guy sitting on 500 bales so when people run real low he will get what he wants for it. Dont really agree with it and I kinda hope he gets stuck with all of it.

Well it is a business. I am not sure that is a good business practice and will get you many repeat customers but hay people are in it to make money too. But like you said he is risking getting stuck with it or taking less then if you would sell now.Like they say in the stock market and hog farms piggy's get slaughtered. Greed is the #1 business killer in the country in any aspect of our economy. When people start only thinking about money and loose site of custom and employee care and satisfaction or longevity of and operation it goes down hill quickly.   

OK, so that is what really burns me. Here in SW MO, we have had a drought for two years. Hay is usually around $35 for a 4x5 bale around here. Last year, you had to pay $50 for the same bale, and this year good luck finding anything decent for less than $75! Three years ago we had extra, so we sold it for $25/bale and did pretty good. Last two years, we have gone through our supply, and last year in Feb had to buy 10 bales to get us to grass, this year we have bought a lot more (we produced half of what we normally do). What lesson did I learn? Keep several years worth of hay in storage so you do not get gouged when you need it! I went and looked at a truck load, thought it was a deal for $40/bale (advertised on Craigs list), but when I saw it all it was was baled twigs and leaves! Almost no grass what so ever!!! I looked at the guy and asked him if he was serious, and he told me "What do you expect for times like these?" Really? That really burned me. However, he would sell me two year old hay that was moldy and junk for $50 a bale, just to be nice! We walked away.... grrr....

 

[Bilmar]

I feel your pain fire sweep,same thing happen here couple years back,baled golden rods a year old was $50 a bale. Some people don't have a conscience. would like to help but shipping would be to high from eastern wv to ship out west.

 

[Mueller Show Cattle]

Hay suppliers and Hay brokers are getting what they can for it rite now. Firesweep, I wish we had your prices and remember them days when I lived in Missouri and you could buy 5X5 round bales for $20 a piece in Central Missouri. When I moved to Wyoming (2004), I thought people were crazy wanting $100 a ton for hay. 2 years ago I paid $150 a ton, this past year and now hay is at $300 a ton or more around me. I paid $200 a ton for good alfalfa grass hay delivered to the ranch, that was the cost with shipping included out of Canada, over a $100 a ton of it was shipping. But we have lots of hay suppliers hanging on to it at $300 + a ton and I hope they get stuck with it and we have a good year this year (even though I don't think so as we are already way behind on snow fall in our mountains).

 

[oakview]

Bilmar Shorthorns.  I remember a Bilmar Shorthorns from back in the 1960s.  I think they were from down south, maybe Georgia.  Their herd bull at that time was Calrossie Diadem.  Any relation or other connection?

 

[Bilmar]

No connection, we got into shorthorns in 2000,with the kids because everybody had black cattle. The farm is The Bilmar, but the www.bilmarshorthorns.com is the site.

 

[J2F]

How much hay ground do you think corn and beans took last year? How many people put in a crop hoping for a good year and got burned on hay due to the drought?