# Marketing Quality Hay



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

This is a outstanding article on marketing a quality hay product by Progressive Forage Grower. Read this one!! One of the best that I have read in a while.

Economic outlook versus quality

Regards, Mike


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Excellent article! Crap hay producers hurt everyone, including themselves. They may think they're getting the edge, but the time, labor, fuel, etc.usually means they are operating at a loss but just aren't smart enough to work the numbers.

Sometimes nature and events conspire against me producing the highest quality hay that I can, but that doesn't me I stop trying.

Ralph


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

That is a must read for all! I think when people state on HayTalk they are trying to start up this is one they should read. Thanks Vol even us cow hay makers should worry about our quality.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I agree with most of this article, but the paragraph of tarping. Buildings with some hay on the dirt floor floor are better in my area. No dirt gets in my bottom bales. But yes hay producers get lazy. I see it with alfalfa alot around here with the big balers. Some farmers don't even realize that they don't know how to bale alfalfa. I see many people baling alfalfa hay in the middle of a nice hot afternoon. Dust and leaves flying every where. Especially the large custom operators. Alot of guys don't like to stay up until the dew comes to bale the alfalfa at night.


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## jdhayboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I think bottom line is... good hay sells itself. You otta see our hay sales when we run out of hay. On a normal year in the winter we may sell 1000 sqs a week, when we run out of our own it goes to about half. Of course price does go up but i try to stay below feed stores. I have so many people ask is it yours, if its not they wanna go to the feed store. Why I dont know... you would think they would want to support there local grower. 
I am curious to know how this year is gonna go. Lots of people are gonna want to grow and sell hay especially if they dont have any cows to feed. Market will be flooded with under priced hay because they cant get rid of it. IF we continue to get rain. But the those people eventually will weed themselves out but again soon replaced by more because as most of you know ... hay baling is fun !! Thats why we do it! Right!?!?
Sorry... I think about this all the time. I dont wanna be competitive, I like being the price setter!! This year may have to be a lil more competitive to remind them good hay sells itself. We'll see!


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I sell hay to a llama outfit that packs supplies up to Mt. LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park(LeConte Lodge). I did not hear from those folks last fall, but a few weeks ago they called and wanted to know if I had any Timothy hay left. They came out and got a load and while the trailer was being loaded, the llama manager mentioned to me that the "owner" had bought "cheaper hay" last fall, but the llamas "just did not eat it very well....just kinda picked thru it". Then he went on to say that around their barn it was terribly muddy due to the over abundant rain this winter and that they were using the cheap hay to spread around the barn and "firm" things up. I just politely nodded.....but inside I was thinking something else!

Now I will say this, in Tennessee, we are about to "re-open" processing facilities for equine. 4-5 years ago you could hardly drive down a urban road without seeing horses very frequently. Not nearly as much today. I know some other Southern states are also "re-opening" processing facilities......if the economy continues to wallow and flounder, the "common folk" equine population will decline. How much it will affect hay sales remains be to seen....but it could have a marked affect. Beef cattle inventories are the lowest in this country since 1952 and the horse population is also in decline.....just something to ponder.

Regards, Mike


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## jdhayboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I guess thats the way it goes in the hay business. People will leave you because they found some cheaper hay. And they always come running back after they get burned on some bad hay. And then they want u to treat them like they never left. Although I dont blame them for trying to save a lil money but if they want cheaper hay, come talk to me and I can bale u some. If ur animals dont like it I always will take it back so ur not out all that money. 
I will always take care of those that take care of me.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

jdhayboy said:


> Sorry... I think about this all the time. I dont wanna be competitive, I like being the price setter!! This year may have to be a lil more competitive to remind them good hay sells itself. We'll see!


Dang....I didn't think you had any competition other than Jeffrey. He runs out of his own pretty quickly and then starts getting bales from the West Coast.

I'm not sure that many will try to jump into making hay. A lot of the pastures went to dirt before the animals got sold off and it'll take time for them to recover.



jdhayboy said:


> IF we continue to get rain


If it keeps up like this, none of us will be able to get into our fields.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Mike120 said:


> If it keeps up like this, none of us will be able to get into our fields.


Isn't that ironic!!

Regards, Mike


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## steve IN (Jan 13, 2010)

Exactly. I am in pretty good with a few vets and they tell me that most times they see a sick horse it is usually the feed. They mention my name and the people usually say he is too expensive . Then the vet reminds them that they are not cheap either nor is a dead horse. When i show someone cheaper hay in mmy barn they say "I dont like that". The biggest problem i have found is no one considers bale weight. A 60 pound bale at 5$ is about 165 ton. A 40 pound bale at 4$ is 200 a ton. I gues they had better math teachers than me. I always guarantee all my squares and tell the customer that if there is a problem I will replace the bales if they bring them back. Have had very few returns. My loyal customers always get taken care of first.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Vol said:


> Isn't that ironic!!


I just got another 2" last night...I'd sure like it better if something besides weeds were growing. With my luck it'll stop about April.


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## MorganT69 (May 17, 2010)

You guys that guarantee hay, I think that is honorable and all but you have no control over how they store there hay. There is no way that I would guarantee hay past my farm. My hay is good quality, clean hay and they are more than welcome to look it over and test it, but Im not taking on the responsibility of whether or not there roof leaded and it got wet or the fact that they knew it was going to rain the day that they hauled it but they decided not to tarp it. Nope not me.


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## steve IN (Jan 13, 2010)

I know my customers and NO I will not guarantee for those problems and have no problem saying that. I ask alot of questions of new customers and do what I can to help them out. Most customers know what a roof leak looks like. One thing I wont guarantee is my hay in a steel garden shed. No Ifs and or Buts. Sometimes you have to eat a few bales to keep a $4-5000 customer. Just my thoughts and experiences from doing this for over 35 years. Some customers you will never make happy but they are also the ones finding new suppliers every year. Also dont forget at least in my area we have alot of people selling junk hay. These people have no business making hay. I always tell new customers that they wont buy cheap hay from me but they will buy the best hay I can make and I strive for that. If it wont make good squares it goes into rounds.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

jdhayboy said:


> I think bottom line is... good hay sells itself. You otta see our hay sales when we run out of hay. On a normal year in the winter we may sell 1000 sqs a week, when we run out of our own it goes to about half. Of course price does go up but i try to stay below feed stores. I have so many people ask is it yours, if its not they wanna go to the feed store. Why I dont know... you would think they would want to support there local grower.


I didn't know that but it makes sense. You produce some of the best hay around here (don't get a big head) and you've done an excellent job of marketing a quality product on the basis of that quality. When you run out and start selling OP (other peoples) hay, your customers view it an inferior product. If they have to buy second-rate hay, they might as well look for the cheapest. You just need to convince them that ALL you sell is quality. Probably easier said than done.

Jeff also produces good quality hay, but when you go to his feed store you don't know if it's his or something he's brought in from the West Coast. He doesn't sell quality, he sells convenience and the fact that he always has some. Different business models.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

All this makes me a little stressed. My goal is quality hay, but I don't know what's in the fields I've been asked to take over! Looks like brown stubble to me! 2 fields have a "reputation" for horse quality hay, the other is weeds.
I cut back overhanging brush, posted and barricaded field entrances to limit kids trashing up the fields and I'm saving my pennies for mushroom soil or nitrogen to use as fertilizer. I know weeds need sprayed, but what else needs done?

I see I'm listed as a "hay master" under my avitar.....I'm not worthy of "hay master" status!!!!


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

JD3430 said:


> All this makes me a little stressed. My goal is quality hay, but I don't know what's in the fields I've been asked to take over! Looks like brown stubble to me! 2 fields have a "reputation" for horse quality hay, the other is weeds.
> I cut back overhanging brush, posted and barricaded field entrances to limit kids trashing up the fields and I'm saving my pennies for mushroom soil or nitrogen to use as fertilizer. I know weeds need sprayed, but what else needs done?


Don't be stressed, I think most, if not all, of us strive for quality.....some with more success than others. A lot however depends on marketing and how you market your product. Often as producers we view quality on the basis of forage tests, maturity at cutting, etc, etc. and the customer views quality as "looks pretty, smells pretty". That can be very frustrating, but it's the customers view that most often drives the sale. How well you manage that view is determined by your marketing. Sadly, there is no clear line between absolute truth and absolute hype. Quality is in the eye of the beholder.

Many years ago a great little book was published about quality called "I Know It When I See It: A Modern Fable About Quality" it's worth reading and you can find it on Amazon. In reality, because we are producing an agricultural product we will typically have a huge amount variability and our tests are really just averages. In my view, what we are really striving for is *consistancy* rather than quality. That's actually what the customer wants.


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## jdhayboy (Aug 20, 2010)

You said it... consistency!!! They get the same today that they got 5 years ago. 
On guaranteeing hay.... I do and will always guarantee any square bale that I bales that comes out of my barn. When people are paying 7-8 bucks a bale on a normal year and if there animals wont eat it, bring it on back. I'll trade you more hay or give ur money back no problem, unless their negligence ruined the hay. I'll cheat my ownself before I cheat anyone else.


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