# Demand for hay changing?



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Is the demand for hay changing?

The feedlots here have dropped the amount of hay in their rations.It used to be 2# per hd per day.Now I hear rations @.7#.And they don't use a good of hay.They are using distilers and don't need the protien from the hay because of all the protien in the distillers.Some using straw instead of hay.

Hay auctions here used to run 100 loads a sale and now running50-60 and the price is still soft.

Another hay guy I know got a call from a dairy lookin for hfr hay.He was only willing to pay $60 a ton.LOL


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## ne_mn (Nov 25, 2010)

I think you're right. The straw and cornstalks can be pretty cheap filler. Especially with a lot of the no tilling going on there are farmers who want some of the crop residue off the fields so the soil can warm up quicker in the spring. Some of them can unload their bales so cheap there ain't much of a way to compete.

All it would take is a few drier years and hay would be back in the running. There are so many people reducing their hay ground acreage for one reason or another.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Most people I know are cutting back cattle herd sizes. I picked up a field from my neighbor to switch over to hay because he cut his herd way back. The horse market is still OK for the high-$$ horses but grade horses and off-the-track horses often end up in Mexico. The price of feed and low-auction prices makes raising animals a poor investment right now. However, the hay prices seem to be pretty steady for decent small squares in this area and the only low prices I've seen were for junk hay. It's usually in small lots. I even saw some junk rounds on an on-line auction site the other day.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I'm not exactly sure what is happening in our haymarket, I do know about 7-8 of the 20 loads at the Saturday auction no sold. Mine was one of them, wasn't about to give hay away at $75/ton that had brought $120/ton the day before. I'm seriously looking into more cheap storage of some kind as I'm beginning to wonder if I just shouldn't sit on last years crop and make more room for this years crop.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

Cy, The sad part about it is that the guy will find someone to sell it to him for the $60 bucks. Sometimes I wished I had a crystal ball. I guess this year will tell the story but when we see people ripping out their hay ground, we will be right back there thinking that prices have got to get better. I seem to stay confused and undecided on what the hell to do. Mike


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## baddog201 (Sep 18, 2010)

I am going to try hay one more year and if i have another bad year I will be ripping all my hay out and going back to corn and beans and wheat


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