Hay Shortage?

[dodgedifferent2]

Seemed to rain every chance we got last summer so we are a bit tight this year for hay to feed our dairy cows. South western Ontario Canada

We usually sell our extra hay for $50 a bale 4x5 round and roughly 800 lbs.
Honestly we should be increasing to $60 but we like the round number of $50.
We are very picky with our alfalfa, timothy and grass mix. We are usually too rich in quality for horses.

We sell our low quality stuff for $30 to the beef guys that just want filler.

We bale about 400-500 bales for ourselves every summer usually hitting 4 cuts. Fourth cut is usually hard to get dry.

Not too many hay guys around here but the ones that are seem to charge 60-70 a bale for their low quality mature grass.

 

[khryslerkid]

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[kiwigtx]

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That's a lotta *** there 'Kid.

 

[khryslerkid]

I could tell you hay bailing stories all day long! I hate bailing hay!

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

@HEMI-ITIS ...the guy feeding the loose hay into the bailer is "Mr Andrew"
I'm on the camera.

So,,,,,,,,,,he found a needle in the HAY stack??

 

[Brandy]

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Aww...I love these guys, want to give them cookies!

 

[BigCountryMopar]

I’m no professional, by any means, but I have baled and stacked a many a hay bale when I was growing up. Good thing is my new tractor has a cab, so I can ride in the air listening to my music while I cut and bale. Bad part is I’d have to buy the hay specific equipment, which ain’t cheap.

 

[Brandy]

I don't cut my own hay. This property used to have clear hay fields back in the day. My lower pasture is about an acre and it has hay every year, but I keep it mowed. Like a lawn. I don't have a desire to buy $100,000's of dollars worth of equipment to cut 10 acres that I would first have to spend thousands to clear and level. I use 200 bales a winter. At $3.00 bucks a bale,.

 

[BigCountryMopar]

It’s definitely not cheap to buy or maintain the equipment. I mainly want to cut my own hay because I don’t like relying on others, if I don’t have to and because it’s something I enjoy doing. Right now I don’t have any other choice than to rely on someone else, but I’m working towards not having to. Of course as wet as it is here, I couldn’t cut anything any sooner than anyone else.

 

[hawkeye]

I have got 500, 1500# net wrapped bales I would sell. $60 if anyone is interested.

 

[Brandy]

It’s definitely not cheap to buy or maintain the equipment. I mainly want to cut my own hay because I don’t like relying on others, if I don’t have to and because it’s something I enjoy doing. Right now I don’t have any other choice than to rely on someone else, but I’m working towards not having to. Of course as wet as it is here, I couldn’t cut anything any sooner than anyone else

I have got 500, 1500# net wrapped bales I would sell. $60 if anyone is interested.

There ya go Big Country!

 

[BigCountryMopar]

I have got 500, 1500# net wrapped bales I would sell. $60 if anyone is interested.

Sounds a good deal! Too bad you are so far away!

 

[Brandy]

Sounds a good deal! Too bad you are so far away!

Who on here has a truck that can carry hay from Missouri to where ever in the deep south Big country lives? For a really good price, like the cost of the fuel?

 

[MarPar]

Who on here has a truck that can carry hay from Missouri to where ever in the deep south Big country lives? For a really good price, like the cost of the fuel?

@Ironbuilt

 

[barbee6043]

I moved to SE Tx from SW Missouri 3 years ago. I had my own hay and bought zero. Big 1200# fescue rounds would usually cost about $35 on average. Hay here in this area of Tx is nuts IMO. This is mostly piney woods and NOT cattle country, never enough hay for sale so little rounds that are what 4 x 5 and 800 # maybe cost $65-70 dollars. All small squares go to horse people and an be $8-12 a bale here . I was used back in MO. to grass squares at $3-3.50 ,and alfalfa mixed at $3.50--4 and rabbit hay at $7, 65 # bales.
Don't know how anyone an make money buying any hay her to feed cattle.
Trucking will kill the good part of it, but I would look at SW Mo. for hay.
With all the excessive rain from East Tx and further East, I doubt the fields are much more than mud!!???

 

[BigCountryMopar]

Who on here has a truck that can carry hay from Missouri to where ever in the deep south Big country lives? For a really good price, like the cost of the fuel?

I hope what I bought yesterday lasts until it dries up or warms up some. If I have to start shipping in hay, something has gone terribly wrong. But I certainly appreciate the effort! Great bunch of guys around here!

 

[barbee6043]

Funny thing with Tx, is only 4 foot bales an be hauled on highways. So I never see the good big heavy bales made here. Yes when there was the extreme drought years a few years back, Tx approved the hauling of 5 ft bales. They came from further North where they do not have such DOT stuff.

 

[BigCountryMopar]

Funny thing with Tx, is only 4 foot bales an be hauled on highways. So I never see the good big heavy bales made here. Yes when there was the extreme drought years a few years back, Tx approved the hauling of 5 ft bales. They came from further North where they do not have such DOT stuff.

If you have farm tags around here, they don’t say much. Hauling 5 foot wides double is seen all the time. I reckon that doesn’t make it right, but it happens all the time.

 

[barbee6043]

It is a law offensive here in Tx. Here I have never seen a 5 x5 bale. Never. I hope out in the sticks of West Tx. it is permitted on conty roads, BUT here they can ticket you here , just like letting the cow dog ride on back of pickup!
Rural Missouri was way different that S E Tx in lots of ways!!

 

[BigCountryMopar]

They’d have a lot of tickets to write around here, if your dog couldn’t ride on the bed! I wouldn’t have ever thought Texas would be strict in that way. As much farming and agriculture goes on there, you’d think they would be easier on guys.