# How Are Your Hay Sales Going - Fall 2019 and into 2020



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

Thought I'd start a thread on member hay sales to get a pulse on how your hay is selling, your local market conditions, etc. as we move into fall 2019 and later into 2020.

In our neck of the woods - IMHO, square bales of anykind (not just quality) are thin. A lot of hay was round baled in the spring with the wet weather and the late summer drought has really put the damper on hay yield, squares and rounds.

Our regular customers have pretty much come and gone - these folks have their ducks in a row.

Business is starting to pick-up a little bit with the last minute and/or "we now have enough $$ to buy some hay" customers, hopefully once the cold, frosts and some snow hits - we'll get much busier.

How's it going in your neck of the woods?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I don't have near enough 2nd and 3rd. Even 1st was a little light with as late as it was made, i think all the cold and wet in April and May stunted it. When it quit raining, it quit raining here. I had some I made in the middle of August and it sat better than two weeks before even greening back up.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

I was short about 30 tons for this year; just bought 30 tons of barely hay for $120/ton.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Still making hay. Yesterday did 233 small squares of 2nd cutting. Some of the driest hay yet according to meter. Spent most of the time at zero though we still treated it ( it is October hay). Never seen so much dust coming out of the baler. Inventory not to bad. Would have liked to have more 1st squares in the barn.

All of our 1st and 2nd regular customers have there hay. There seems to be a lack of hay listed on craigslist so I suspect when the snow flies people will start crying.


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## broadriverhay (Jun 13, 2014)

I hold hay year round for most of my customers. This year seems they are a little slow to come get it. When it starts to cool down around here they will start calling. I need a way to get them to get their hay earlier without just selling it out from under them one year.i have great customers but some procrastinate about getting their hay when it is being baled. Any ideas?


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

Maybe offer a small price advantage for them? Charge more and more the longer you have the hay in storage.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

broadriverhay said:


> I hold hay year round for most of my customers. This year seems they are a little slow to come get it. When it starts to cool down around here they will start calling. I need a way to get them to get their hay earlier without just selling it out from under them one year.i have great customers but some procrastinate about getting their hay when it is being baled. Any ideas?


I held hay once. Never again. We have 3 price points, get it at the field or off a wagon within 48 hours weather pending, We will store for them BUT it's prepaid, come and get whenever it's theirs, final option do nothing bitch cause your out of hay and they can buy out of the barn at the highest price.....IF any gets put in.

2 years now we have very limited winter inventory due to buying out of field and prepaid/stored hay. And for 1st that is inventoried it is the lowest quality cause customers come first.


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

broadriverhay said:


> I hold hay year round for most of my customers. This year seems they are a little slow to come get it. When it starts to cool down around here they will start calling. I need a way to get them to get their hay earlier without just selling it out from under them one year.i have great customers but some procrastinate about getting their hay when it is being baled. Any ideas?


Maybe I'm just lazy, but I don't call customers when I've got hay, they know where I'm at and we grow and sell hay. Without being rude, my feeling is if you want the hay, come and get it. In years past I would hold hay and turn away customers with cash in hand - driving them to my competitors and the customer for which I held hay, in the end they are a no show.

There are a couple customers I would hold hay for, they've been repeat customers and are reliable. Everyone else, sorry - first come, first serve.

I've also got competitors to the south of me that raise their price as the cold and winter drags on. They have a reputation for this and it angers their customers, but causes them to buy earlier too. For the first time this year, we are going to slowly bring up our prices as the winter wears on. Supply and demand - simple as that. Tractors, equipment, barns and labor are not free. If you want a better price on hay, buy it early (when I need the barn space for additional cuttings) or pay later.

IMHO - hold your price and sell to the first customer that comes with money to buy.

Good luck,
Bill


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## broadriverhay (Jun 13, 2014)

I can only store about half the hay I produce. Customers reserve hay early and then it stays in the barn for a long time. Problem is reserved hay sits in the barn and I’m still making hay without room to store the latter cuttings. I already have over 2 thousand reserved for 2020 hay season. If I sell off the first 2 cuttings and weather gets bad and I don’t make hay in the latter cuttings I may not be able to cover the reservations.


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## broadriverhay (Jun 13, 2014)

More like 3500 bales reserved. I just checked my list again.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Most all my regulars have picked up their hay. We have turned very dry here since late summer and it has surprised me that I haven't gotten more calls for hay (cow or horse). But I guess it will be like other years, as the thermometer goes down the phone starts ringing.

broadriver I have mixed feelings on the storage. It is almost a black hole in a way. Once people see you store then that many more want theirs stored. I dont think you can charge enough to recover storage costs. I have storage for round and square but I try not to hold hay for people over a few weeks. With all that said I am hoping to build more sq. bale storage this off season.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Turning new customers away.Hopefully I have enough for my regular customers,I cater to my regular customers who buy every yr.Wish I had more to sell.

Should be sitting a lot better next yr as I have 100 acres seeded this yr and will be in full production next yr.It's on my best ground so should produce well.


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## Draft Horse Hay (May 15, 2014)

I only have one delinquent customer, my rich retired neighbor who bought some hay in the windrow because he wanted round bales and I didn't have more sm sq customers at the time. That was in July.

My customers know that baled and picked up in the field is cheapest. Stacked and tarped in the field is more. Moved to the barn will be the most costly.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

IH 1586 said:


> I held hay once. Never again. We have 3 price points, get it at the field or off a wagon within 48 hours weather pending, We will store for them BUT it's prepaid, come and get whenever it's theirs, final option do nothing bitch cause your out of hay and they can buy out of the barn at the highest price.....IF any gets put in.
> 
> 2 years now we have very limited winter inventory due to buying out of field and prepaid/stored hay. And for 1st that is inventoried it is the lowest quality cause customers come first.


I do same for feed customers.
I have customers that I pre sell 20-25 bales to at a time. I charge them $10 extra per round bale to keep their bales stored indoors. They like knowing their hay is guaranteed for peace of mind. Those customers pay me per quarter year for hay with $10 added per round bale.
As far as sales/inventory go, I'm pretty much sold out because I'm down 20% on production from losing 60 acres of ground I had. 
I'd love to find another 20-40 to cut.


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