The Annual, "What are you paying for hay" thread

[Indy-lou]

It's that time of the year when we start negotiating for hay prices. It's become an annual question for me to ask COTH breeders "What are you paying for hay"? Last year we saw hay prices skyrocket/double in my area and nationwide. I am fortunate to live in an intermountain area of Northern California where high quality hay is grown locally. Last year I paid around $240/ton for very high quality mixed grasses/alfalfa hay. Really the best horse hay money can buy anywhere. This year it looks like prices are back down to 2006 prices. I just got a quote for $110/ton mixed grass/alfalfa hay, delivered. From a big hay broker, this hay is still in the barn from last year, I have yet to look at it. I am finding that a bit of hay sat in the barn last year due to the high prices and did not get sold. Some of the hay growers are sitting on their new hay yet this year, holding out for a better price, but I don't think the market will bear it. Good news for horse breeders, but it is due to bad news in the dairy industry on the West Coast, as many dairy farmers are going under, sadly. The dairy market really dictates the hay market here in California. So, what are you paying in your local area and for what kind of hay? I think we will see hay prices coming down this year nationwide, not just in our area. I wonder if the Southern California feed stores will be reducing their prices now that they have everyone adjusted to such high prices?

[FLIPPED HER HALO]

I prefer to feed a nice orchard/alfalfa mix. Last year my usual hay person didn't get any. :( They don't have any yet this year either. I did get some decent hay from another dealer (orch/alf mix) last month for $11 a bale.

I have a stack of rye being delivered and paid $8 a bale. Alfalfa is currently $9 and wheat $10 at my regular place. I SO want some nice mix hay. Does your guy deliver to the Davis/Vacaville area?

[genevieveg17]

I just got a full load of grass/alfalfa (80/20ish) for $210 a ton delivered. Kind of steep but it is fabulous hay. Just under $6,000. for the load.
Alfalfa is running about $180/ton delivered.

[Indy-lou]

Bales of hay vary in their weight, so for comparisons, it only works to give price per ton. I have learned that bale weights vary greatly across the nation. It is more common in California for hay bales to be 100+ pounds each, but in other areas bales may only weigh 60 lbs or so. If hay isn't grown in your area and has to be trucked in, then the price will naturally be higher for the cost of freight. Thankfully, gas prices are down.
I am not in the hay business and don't broker hay, but I think it is helpful to know what price adjustments are regionally so that folks have some idea of what they should be paying, and whether or not the hay they are buying is from last year or current cut. What I am seeing is that the prices should be coming down across the board.
You need to ask your hay dealers if you are buying last year's hay or current crop. The nutritional value of the hay will decline over time and so should the price...

[Sakura]

I pay $0.11/lb... for straight Orchard grass hay. My hay guy has a huge truck scale at the entrance of his farm. You weigh your truck on the way in and then again on the way out... This way you don't end up paying the same $$ for a 40# bale as you would for a 50# bale.

[Signature]

We normally pay $220/ton for alfalfa/orchard that's heavy on the alfalfa. Normally works out to $6.75ish a bale (we get a tractor trailer load)... comes from PA down to us in NC. G, yours sounds very reasonable for Cali, wow!!! Our last load came in March so I'm anxious to see now that they are cutting if the prices do come down some?

I remember in the mid 90's I was getting insanely good alf/orchard for $3.50 a bale delivered... oh where have those days gone!!! :) And great feed was $6.95 a bag! Now we pay about double that if not more for both items!

[Waterwitch]

I'm surprised hay prices are dropping. Wasn't at least some of the input for this year's crop at last year's high prices...? Ie, even though fuel and other prices are down right now compared to last year, aren't fertilizer prices, etc negotiated in advance? Tamara?

I expect to pay more for high quality hay this year. Worth it though.

[Hillside H Ranch]

We feed a variety of hay. So far, this year's crops have been priced pretty well. Alfalfa small bales (75#/bale), beautiful, beautiful hay produced by a dairy farmer was $4/bale in the field, $5/delivered. Brome small bales (50#/bale) $4/bale loaded. However, that is all fescue free broodmare hay. The majority of the hay that we feed is large square bales (800-900#/bale) that is stored inside and is a lovely, soft green orchard grass that the horses can't seem to get enough. Those are $35/bale.

[ponygirl]

Our local feed stores use the hayexchange to get their hay and it's insanely expensive.
50lb bale of Timothy is $22 bucks a bale. O&A at 50lbs- $19. It just pisses me off b/c they won't even entertain going straight to a hay farmer as opposed to brokers. I've even given them reputable hay farmers names with Production Acres being one of them but noooooooo.

So, a bunch of us voted with our wallets and bring hay in ourselves. Its' a lot of work as we co-op the hay truck but hay is much less expensive this way.

[horsetales]

We just got a beautiful load of timothy right off the field. Stacked and delivered was $3.90/bale

[Calvincrowe]

Local hay prices here are about a dollar a bale less than last year--the first hay was cut last week here, which is very early (we've had amazing weather...shh...don't tell anyone that it isn't raining in PDX!).

I'm praying that the orchard/alfalfa out of Central Oregon is less than the price of gold...er..hay was last year. The Asian hay market is way down, so the exportation of hay from the PNW is down, which leaves more quality hay for domestic use. There is a glut of last year's hay in the Bend area, with quality hay going for $180/ton right now. If only I had a 6 ton flat bed trailer so I could go fetch my own, which is a 6+hour round trip. My hay guy will no doubt make a nice profit on that hay.

[Tamara in TN]

[QUOTE=Waterwitch;4137503]I'm surprised hay prices are dropping. Wasn't at least some of the input for this year's crop at last year's high prices...? Ie, even though fuel and other prices are down right now compared to last year, aren't fertilizer prices, etc negotiated in advance? Tamara?

QUOTE]

well we just brought a load of super premium alfalfa from AZ to us here in TN for less than the bandits in PA,SD and MI wanted to send it to us....;)

there's a lot of dealers (and most all feed stores) playing on the ignorance of the general horse buying public who only buy 100 bales at a time right now...yes some inputs were high...but a lot of sales people got good and greedy singing the "high fertilizer refrain" and the buyers went elsewhere (esp on the west coast) and it bit them on the ass and rightly so...

so now they sit on hay they cannot sell at last years prices,partially on the consumers mistaken ideas that last years hay which was just fine in Feb, now suddenly sucks 90 days later...PSA if the hay was good in feb it's still good now

add to that the flood of "part timers" hay right now til about july 1 (when that stock either molds thru or is fed out) and things are gonna suck for some people....there are going to be some hits taken on the profit margins...but it's hard for me to feel sorry for them

regards

[Kyzteke]

Great thread!

Hay prices are dropping in my area (North Idaho) as well. Both my long-time hay brokers have predicted a drop and one even dropped the prices on last year's hay to get it out of the barn. We don't do our 1st cutting till around 7/1, but we get alot of our alfalfa from Oregon/WA -- the Columbia basin.

Last year top quality grass hay was $200 delivered & stacked in my barn. From the same broker alfalfa was $250. I also buy 500 lb round bales of super fine timothy to feed in the summer. It was $175 a ton and you had to go get it.

Now the round bales are $150 and it's all I'm feeding for now. Other hay broker called and said he predicts a drop of about $25 per ton -- thank goodness!!

You can get hay cheaper here, but I like the convenience of having it delivered and both of these brokers have never gotten me bad stuff. Again, I see that I'm lucky to live in a rural area, but we have such a short growing season.

[FriesianX]

I paid $230/ton stacked and delivered for premium Timothy - sounds a bit high, but around here, Timothy is still gold (and has to be shipped in from Oregon). I know a few dealers that have alfalfa for about $110/ton, although you have to pay another $250 for a stack retriever if you don't own your own. I can't feed straight alfalfa to my horses - it is just too rich!

Hay prices are down - yet I've visited three feed stores in the last couple of weeks, and the per/bale cost (these are California sized bales, 100 to 120 lbs) are about $15 for grass or grass/alfalfa, $11 (and more) for straight alfalfa, $10 to $12 for rye, and the only place that had Timothy was asking $26! I wonder if we're going to see that crash in the next few weeks as first cuttings need to come inside?

[Tamara in TN]

[QUOTE=Waterwitch;4137503]Ie, even though fuel and other prices are down right now compared to last year, aren't fertilizer prices, etc negotiated in advance? Tamara?
QUOTE]

sorry meant to adress this part as well....in the past it has been the policy of most farms to buy in advance and "lock in " prices...normally

after last spring's nightmare the the leading economists in the farming said not to bother with locking in anything as the the market as crazy as it was...


best

[TrueColours]

50lb bale of Timothy is $22 bucks a bale.

REALLY??? I would die if I had to pay those prices!!! :eek:

I grow my own and I am over the moon happy with the quality of it. We got our first cut off 3 of the fields 2 weeks ago and it is probably the nicest and best hay I have ever had available to feed to my guys - ever

I think hay prices around here vary in the $3.50 - $6.50 range per 60-70 lb bale and that can be timothy to timothy / alfalfa mixed hay

I am also fortunate that I need about 1600 - 1800 bales a year for my own horses and my fields will yield about 3000 - 7000 bales in total per annum - depending on how many cuts we get off and how much rain we get as well. The fellow that cuts and bales for me does so for free and whatever I dont need for myself, he takes for his own horses and then sells the rest, so its win / win for both of us

If anyone is close enough and is interested in getting a trailer load of it, let me know and I'll put you in touch with him. I can also probably get some reasonable shipping costs for you as well on it through my connections in the freight and logistics industry as well

[unbridledoaks]

We are paying $200 a ton for premium Timothy and the bales weigh 125+. We are in Eastern Washington.

[ponygirl]

REALLY??? I would die if I had to pay those prices!!! :eek:

I grow my own and I am over the moon happy with the quality of it. We got our first cut off 3 of the fields 2 weeks ago and it is probably the nicest and best hay I have ever had available to feed to my guys - ever

I think hay prices around here vary in the $3.50 - $6.50 range per 60-70 lb bale and that can be timothy to timothy / alfalfa mixed hay

I am also fortunate that I need about 1600 - 1800 bales a year for my own horses and my fields will yield about 3000 - 7000 bales in total per annum - depending on how many cuts we get off and how much rain we get as well. The fellow that cuts and bales for me does so for free and whatever I dont need for myself, he takes for his own horses and then sells the rest, so its win / win for both of us

If anyone is close enough and is interested in getting a trailer load of it, let me know and I'll put you in touch with him. I can also probably get some reasonable shipping costs for you as well on it through my connections in the freight and logistics industry as well

Yeah, 22 bucks for a 50lb bale. I get in their trailers and pick them up myself to feel the weight. It's infuriating. If you an figure out a way to get it to Florida for reasonable shipping, let me know. It seems that Canadian shippers are more willing to come into Florida b/c they back haul citrus. I know of a few hay brokers that do this.

[Iron Horse Farm]

We co op with a farmer and this will be our first hay crop. They paid for the equipment, seed, fertilizer and spray. They also cut, bale and stack. They put in 28 acres of hay on our property. The first year I get 33% and the second year 40% and the third year 50%. It currently looks beautiful, but we haven't been able to get a cutting in yet because of weather. So, last week I went to the hay auction. I bought Alfalfa for the broodmares who are nursing, mix for the pregnant one and grass/timothy for the youngsters and ponies. Although I paid anythere from $2 - $5 per bale, my average on my bill was $3.84/bale. Yes, it was last year's, but it isn't even a year old yet and you can easily tell what has been stored properly.

[krfarms]

We have always had high hay prices. Living on the outskirts of Denver metro where there no longer is farm land, our hay keeps going up. Alfalfa is pretty easily available, but since switching from TB's to warmbloods, I prefer grass. Several years we bought mountain property and negotiated with a rancher there. He grows beautiful mountian grown timothy and mountain grass mix. I take 3 semi's a year, he stores the hay at his place and delivers in Oct, Feb and May. I NEVER quibble over the price because he delivers and helps unload!! I have to pay several people to help (no teenagers in Denver can lift anything heavier than a cell phone!!) so all my 50 ish male friends come over for hay and ibuprofin!!
The price depends on the amount of snow we got over the winter because it is sub-irrigated. Last year we did not have so much snow but it is pouring rain for the last 6 weeks!! So I pray daily for no late or early freeze and hay will be reasonable next year. We only get one cutting, beginning in July and lasting until the 1st freeze--the fields sit at about 8500 feet!! About $6.00/bale for heavy wire tied bales!! and Delivery depends on the price of Diesel!!

[Tiki]

I'm one of those unfortunate people who has most of my broodmares and youngsters boarded out on field board, but I do have 2 at home. I live in a subdivision and have no way to store large quantities of hay. I have to pay $6/bale of orchard/grass mix for bales that weigh about 35 lb each, so that's about $340/ton - loaded on my truck, but I unload. I've been using this guy for several years now, and he knows how much hay I need. He has plenty for storage space and only a few customers, but I have to pay as I pick up. I actually heard him tell someone last year that I was getting a bargain because I was a regular customer. :lol:

I used to get hay from a farmer who would ask me what kind of hay I wanted and how much for the year. He would give me a price of $2 - $3 per bale, depending on type - as long as I guaranteed that I would take every bale agreed upon at the beginning of the hay year, and tell me, "That's your hay over in that corner". After our first drought, his boss told him - no more outside sales!

I only need 300 - 500 bales per year, and the absolute most I can store at a time is 75 - 100, and that would be a chore unloading and stacking them by myself- which is what I have to do. An' I ain't no spring chicken no more.:D:winkgrin::lol::winkgrin:;)

[Tamara in TN]

I used to post these quite a bit til I got a nastygram not to...but it is on topic...

State Reports: California, Indiana

California
A combination of low prices, slow sales and delinquent payments has put alfalfa growers in San Joaquin County, CA, in a “somber” mood, reports Mick Canevari, University of California farm advisor. He reports that alfalfa hay at the grower level is currently priced in the $100-140/ton range. “Last year, it was $200-240/ton. And oat hay prices are very depressed at $60-70/ton.”

Low dairy prices are the major factor underpinning the slumping hay prices. “A downturn in the economy has also impacted the pleasure horse industry, adding to the depressed hay market,” he says.

Hay growers are struggling with other issues, including a major outbreak of alfalfa stem nematodes. (See Alfalfa Stem Nematode Outbreak In California.) “It has been a horribly bad year for stem nematodes coming out of winter dormancy – some of the worst problems I’ve ever seen in all my years in extension,” says Canevari. “In infested fields, growers have just completed their first cuttings. That’s five weeks later than normal.”

On an upbeat note, Canevari reports that nematodes are now going dormant and alfalfa plants are starting to grow normally. Growers who haven’t experienced nematode problems have finished, or are finishing, second crop. “Yield and quality are excellent.”

Only a few farms in Canevari’s area have been impacted by the water cutoffs affecting alfalfa growers in other areas of the state. “We’re just far enough north to dodge the major brunt of the water shortage.”

Contact Canevari at 209-953-6100 or wmcanevari@ucdavis.edu.

[Indy-lou]

I have to pay several people to help (no teenagers in Denver can lift anything heavier than a cell phone!!) so all my 50 ish male friends come over for hay and ibuprofin!!!
Thanks for the chuckle. It's the same thing here. You can't get a teenager to mow a lawn for money.
Tamara: Exactly what we are seeing here.
I don't begrudge any hay growers their dollars, putting up hay is hard work and the equipment is expensive. I just don't want to pay more than the next guy or gal. Some folks got a bit greedy last year, IMO.

[Oakstable]

Hay is slowly coming down at the feed store here in inland SoCal.

I think it is around $14.50 for a good sized bale, maybe 135 lbs.

Re teenagers: I tried to hire a young man to help around here. He had never had a paying job but his reference at school was good as far as work ethic, no drugs or alcohol, and knew animals. I told him $9/hour to start. He said $10/hour. I had his mom pick him up and take him home. Not even old enough to drive ...

[Seven-up]

I buy a few bales at a time, and over the last few months I've been paying $7.50/bale for Alicia hay from my 2nd choice feed store, and sometimes it was questionable. My regular feed store got a load of the most wonderful Alicia/Bahaia mix for $5.75/bale so I bought as much as I could until they ran out. I don't know where it came from, but I hope they get some more! It was so beautiful and green and sweet-smelling that I wanted to eat it! Since they ran out, I'm back to the $7.50/bale stuff from the other feed store.