I was hoping some countrysiders could give me an idea of current prices for square baled grass or alfalfa hay in their area. Hay here is $1.25 -$1.50 a bale which I gather is really cheap compared with other places in the country. I have a friend who is an independent trucker with his own rig. So I was wondering about the feasibility of purchasing hay here and shipping it to wherever. I know there are a lot of details to be worked out but I thought it might be something to look into. Anybody got any ideas on the subject? thanks.

-- teresam (teresam@ascent.net), January 15, 2001

Answers

If you ever haul alfalfa hay to north MS I would like to buy some.

-- Bettie Ferguson (jobett@dixie-net.com), January 15, 2001.

I'm in NE Oklahoma. Small square bales of prairie hay here goes for 2.50 to 3.50 per bale.

-- Mona in OK (jascamp@ipa.net), January 15, 2001.

Here, in eastern Colorado, we pay between 95-105 per ton, for small bales, the 65 pounders, for Alfalfa/grass mix. It is really good quality, though. Others around sell their hay for up to $6 per bale. Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), January 16, 2001.

You can buy cow hay, bahia, for $2 or $3 a bale. Good quality coastal hay is now $4.50, and if you can find Alfalfa it is $8 or $9 dollars. Remember though since most folks round bale, our square bales, are small, you can eaisly pick it up with one hand, once in awhile their will be nice heavy bales, wire baled, but most of what we get here is string baled and light. This is north of Houston, and if you had purchased in the late summer all of those prices would be less, especially picked up in the field when cut. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 16, 2001.

http://www.haybarn.com/reports/listforsale.asp?category=Hay

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), January 16, 2001.

Teresam, Around here you can get really nice alfalfa in full 100 pound bales from Eastern Washington for $10.00 a bale, or $160.00 a ton, from the feed store. You can get it as low as $130.00 a ton, delivered, but usually have to order a minimum of 4 ton. Out of the Sequim Valley you can get grass/alfalfa for $8.00 a bale, U Haul, but it's about 75% grass, and never thought the 2 bucks a bale was a big enough savings with the difference in nutrition, and the hassel of hauling 60 miles. Local hay here is about $4.00 a bale--35-40lb bales, but it is pure grass. We have a small field planted to "7-Star" pasture mix which is 3 types of grass and 3 kinds of clover and a vetch, which we cut with the DR and rake and put up loose, which we give to the bucks, and the give the girls alfalfa, which we get delivered from the other side of the mountains. I don't know where you are, but judging by the low prices you quoted, I assume you're pretty far, but thought you might find our prices interesting. If you're not that far though, Hey! I'm about ready for another 4 tons! Kathie

-- Kathie in Western Washington (twinrosefarm@worldnet.att.net), January 16, 2001.

We pay $3.00 a bale for grass blend for horses. The local growers are already out. We can drive to Sequim and pay $3.00 a bale, too, but that grower will be sold out in February. We had a lot of rain last summer that ruined half the crop. We have to start planning and coordinating trips pretty soon to keep them in dry feed. We have alot of growing grass but this time of year it has too much sugar for the horses to live off forage. Anyone wishing to haul hay all the way out here is very welcome to do so.

Kathie, 60 miles from Sequim? I am 80 miles west of Sequim. May I ask what part of Western Washington you call home? Howdy neighbor!

I have one neighbor who drives to Olympia and buys individually wrapped bales of Eastern Washington hay and pays $16.00 a bale for it. I don't know why, but I know she has a chronically foundered horse.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), January 16, 2001.

I guess I'm going to be Mr. Negative today. When you determine all cost, it is not likely to be very profitable. The trucker is going to want to make a profit on it, plus someone has to load and unload. Most homesteads probably aren't designed for a semi to maneuver.

I occasionally haul square baled horse hay from field to horse farms for a local guy. I charge him $20 an hour and I'm just the driver.

Locally it is very difficult to find guys willing to throw and stack hay.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 16, 2001.

Mona, I sell horse square bales for 2.00 and the small round bail, I guess it is under the ton but not by much for 20.00. Sold all of last year's crop but are increasing the land. We pay someone to cut the round bails but we do the square bales. We have a lot of horse people interested in the sq. bales and the cattle people interested in the round bales. I deliver free in my area only! plus I (husband) loads and unloads. But if your interested (it is ferterlized grass hay) and you have the hauling truck, let me know, although I am probably already sold out. I keep just enough for me to get buy and this guy came last week begging for 50 sq. bales, I sold him a few to help him out but I will start lambing soon and I use a lot during that time.

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), January 16, 2001.

300 retasil,, 2.00 wholesalle,, there is a guy/company in Mich,, thast buying up all alfahfa hay,,, and taking it west,, guess hes making a killing, but the farmers around here love it,, they sell all their supplies for a fair price

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), January 16, 2001.

$3-4.00 per sq. bale here, $30.00 average round bales

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), January 16, 2001.

Laura, Even for Olympia $16.00 a bale is outrageous!! WE can still buy decent grass hay in 50-60 lb. bales for 2.00. Alfalfa from East of the mountains is $6.99 for feeder quality. We do have two feed stores that are more like pet stores--maybe that is where she is able to find hay like that!

-- Lynn Royal (homesteadmama1@aol.com), January 16, 2001.

O.K., is everybody sitting down ? Granted I am in So Cal, but I just bought hay last night, picked it up at the feed store and paid $8.95 for 100# bale #2 alfalfa and 14.95 for 100# bale oat hay. Ouch !!! I work my town job just to feed everyone! Thank the Lord I have the option right now! But I am working on a plan to open a weekend only petting zoo at one of the tourist trap towns near here to help pay for the feed! Monica.

-- Monica (zpepenovia@excite.com), January 16, 2001.

Western WA on the east side of the Sound. Local feed store prices per bale: alfalfa/grass, alfalfa: $9.99 (last I looked! Probably $10.49 or $10.99 now); straw: $ 6.29/square bale.

Last fall my neighbor and I split a truckload of alfalfa/grass at $181/ton. It's really NICE hay, and they stacked it very neatly in my barns. BUT! Even so, it comes to about $9.00 a square bale. ($181 divided by about 20 bales.) Good thing I'm raising all these prize winning sheep (ha! Oh that's right, you have to show them to win, huh?)

And it looks like I need another couple ton in about another month. Good thing I'm rich, too (see paragraph above...made all that money on my sheep! LOL!)

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), January 16, 2001.

Around here good alfalfa is 2.00 a bale grass is 1.50 cant imagin paying some of the above prices! how do you guys make ends balance out?

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), January 16, 2001.

Lynn, I agree it is outrageous to drive 4 hours and pay $16.00 a bale for horse hay. She claims the local hay isn't good enough for her horses. (even though one is chronically laminitic from over-feeding) I wish I had her money and my brain!

Since all of our hay barns on the Olympic Penninsula will be empty soon, and there are quite a few of us who enjoy the exercise of bucking hay, it is worth looking into the feasability of importing some hay out here. Fuel costs are what would be the killer no matter if someone delivers or we have to fetch it ourselves.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), January 16, 2001.

renee, same way we afford these $2000/mo mortgage payments (and up). Why, we are all Microsoft millionaires! ROFL!!!!

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), January 16, 2001.

Greetings from South Dakota! For small square bales, we paid $2.00 for good quality hay and $2.50 for 2nd cutting alfalfa. But we drive 30 miles to get it. Isn't it strange how the prices differ across the nation?

-- JoAnn (jonehls@excite.com), January 16, 2001.

Here at the Lake of the Ozarks . I am paying $4.85 a SQ. bale for hay for my Goats . you can get cheaper hay for Cattle.around $3.00 a bale and 5x7 bales for around $25.00 . But I have to worry about mold . So I buy better barn kept hay .

-- Lee (sgrmtndrone@yahoo.com), January 17, 2001.

I grow my own hay. Last year's crop was not so good as the farm has been fallow for dozens of years but after fertilizing and liming, this years was great even with all the rain that Upstate NY received. I don't have haying equipment so I split the field (about 40 acres) with a friend that has the equipment. I ended up with 600 bales, way more than 3 horses and a goat need. I sell mine for $1.25 a bale, it's good mixed grass hay in 40-50 lb square bales.

Stacy Rohan---> not looking forward to haying season! but it's worth the work in the long run.

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), January 17, 2001.

In central ohio people are paying $1.25 to $2 bale for hay. Biggest problem I have is getting grass hay. Most folks around here have Alfalfa and thats to rich for my Lllamas. Luckly for my Llamas are not big eaters and I can get by on a bale/week per animal. With the reasonable short winters cost isnt so bad. I also help a local farmer bale and get a nice price for what I do get. So a couple of evenings work will feed my boys for the year.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), January 17, 2001.

I bought 5 bales of cow hay the other day from a friend, they were about 60# @ $2.50 it is orchard grass but nothiing special. I usually buy 18-20% grass hay @ $6-8.00 per bale but by the ton, the bales weigh 120#+ but it is excellent. This years market looks better than last year as far as late winter supply and price, it was a good summer hay season, most of our lacal hay has to be irrigated so that pushes up the price and some producers only get one cutting.

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.neth), January 17, 2001.

I MAKE MY OWN HAY ORCHARD GRASS HAY AND sell THE EXCESS TO THE HORSE FARMS $2.25 OUT OF THE FIELD $2.50 OUT 0F THE BARN.The cost of lime and fertilizer dictates alot of the cost.5 trips over the field Mow , tedder 2 times, rake and bale cost us $1.00 per bale . It also cost us .25cents to put it in the barn.If I could buy hay for $1 to 1.50 I would sell my equipment. I have just planted 3 acres of MATUA grass 18percent protein and you can mow it 4 times a year. I hope this will be more cost effective. NC Jay

-- jay vance (jay.l.vance@worldnet.att.net), January 17, 2001.

We just bought a ton of nice grass hay with a little alfalfa in it for $175 -- seems high to me, but since we only need one ton for the two goats we have right now, it's do-able. Sure good incentive to get our own hay in for next winter, though, since we'll need more then.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), January 18, 2001.

I hire a neighbor to do all my hay from my land. Does everything, including stacking in the loft, for under a dollar a bale. This is grass/clover/alfalfa mix. Sells around here for about 2.00 a bale, about 45#each.

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), January 18, 2001.

We get a $1.25 a bale for our hay - - I think we're a little cheap for this area - - I believe most is going for around $1.50 -$1.75 a bale (depending on the cutting). Hay is pretty plentiful in this area - - Mid-Michigan.

Our neighbors owns over a 1,000 acres of just hay. He makes bi- weekly trips (mostly down south) as there is such a demand for it in our surrounding states.

-- Lynette Henson (beckerl@jud.state.mi.us), January 19, 2001.

Hay grown here in Central Florida is generally poor in nutritional value. Unless the fields are well fertilized it only amounts to "filler". It runs about $4 a 65 pound bale.

My hay man goes to Georgia to get hay that is of much better quality, and it costs $4.50 per bale, or $45 per roll that weighs about 1200 pounds. The rolls are a much better value, and one roll lasts us a good three weeks when there is no, and I mean NO grass in the pasture. Like right now, the frost has killed every blade of grass, but in about a month it will be growing back.

-- Lela R. Picking (stllwtrs55@aol.com), January 21, 2001.

For a good chuckle. Go to www.oxbow or is it www.oxbow hay

Anyways once you see what they charge you won't feel bad

for what you pay.

P.S. THEY DO GOOD BUSINESS.

-- ... (abcbirds@yahoo.com), January 22, 2001.