# Hay availability 2022



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Traveled across SD a few times this winter.There is no hay to be seen.Typicaly there is a lot of hay year around because ranchers save up for a dry yr so they don’t have to buy hay.Here a lot of hay moves east to dairies in Wisconsin.Now you see quite a few loads going west.

Going to be a higher demand year with people already asking to book hay for the year.3 in the last week!Not really normal,they just expect me to have it,lol.

I booked it but havent set a price yet.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Enough hay at hays sales here in Wisconsin. Price was just ok. I had heard about some semi loads being shipped west but trucking was costing as much as the hay. Spring is about 3 weeks late and the forecast doesn't sound great. Not sure how this year is going to go with input costs.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Grass is slow growing here & hay is in short supply. So far this yr we received less than 7 inches of rain & I'm hanging on to my rd bales.


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## Dixiemist (Dec 9, 2020)

We are short on rain, had a hard late spring, and are not looking very good with the minimal fertilizer I've seen being spread this spring. Everyone was scrambling trying to get enough hay to get to grass with cattle in East TN, South West Va, and Western NC. Just as swmnhay said I have had customers calling to book the last 2 weeks and I usually have to hunt them up after 1st cutting.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Cold and dry here in the valley of Va. hay is mostly short and hasn’t tillered well. Not a lot of fertilizer applied. Paddocks are barely keeping up with grazing so we will likely have to supplement summer grazing with hay which we haven’t had to do for the last 3-4 years. Looking rough at this point.


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

I had an customer call wanting me to let him know ASAP when we cut. He even offered to help...

This will be an interesting year. Not quite sure what to charge - yet


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

I had figured at above $8/bale but now it looks like yield will be in the toilet so pressure to go higher


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## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

I’ll be at $7 this year. I don’t need to see what other people are charging; I’m not paying their bill or making their income, I’m paying mine.

I’m one of the last guys in my area doing squares and custom work. I was doing 40 acres in small squares and a distant neighbor has begged and begged me to do their 13 acres for them as their custom operator is not doing it this year, only they never informed them that they were not doing it. So sounds like my 40 acres has just become 53.

I work a 45 hr week at my day job so I do want a life.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Hayjosh said:


> I’ll be at $7 this year. I don’t need to see what other people are charging; I’m not paying their bill or making their income, I’m paying mine.
> 
> I’m one of the last guys in my area doing squares and custom work. I was doing 40 acres in small squares and a distant neighbor has begged and begged me to do their 13 acres for them as their custom operator is not doing it this year, only they never informed them that they were not doing it. So sounds like my 40 acres has just become 53.
> 
> I work a 45 hr week at my day job so I do want a life.


Same conditions here Hayjosh. Not many doing sm sqs. buddy of mine doing a field I ran for 15 years said he got 8 4 cos off a 7 ac field I used to get 35-42 rolls off of. He couldn’t afford fertilizer this year. No fertilizer and cold weather are going to result in significantly lower yields here


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Frost damage has really showed up now that we had some warm weather.I have one old field that is about 75% damaged.Both alfalfa and Orchardgrass died.
Fortunatly the rest faired pretty well,has a few low spots that have damage.Under 5%.

Thinking about inter seeding some teff gras after taking first cutting off the bad field


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

I just sold my poor crop of Coastal Bermuda for $10 per sq bale. 15 acres made 406 bales It was fert/limed/weed sprayed. I need some rain 7.41'' since Jan 1


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Tx Jim said:


> I just sold my poor crop of Coastal Bermuda for $10 per sq bale. 15 acres made 406 bales It was fert/limed/weed sprayed. I need some rain 7.41'' since Jan 1


Ouch


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## Cactus50 (Nov 26, 2020)

Tx Jim said:


> I just sold my poor crop of Coastal Bermuda for $10 per sq bale. 15 acres made 406 bales It was fert/limed/weed sprayed. I need some rain 7.41'' since Jan 1


Did you get any rain out of this front yesterday and last night?


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Only a fine mist.


Hayman1 said:


> Ouch


It gets worse 10 adjoining acres on North side of concrete driveway that's difficult to access with a trailer made nine 4X5.5 rd bales. If those rd bales sold for a $100 per bale with no hay harvesting charges added in I loose -$650 over cost of fert/weed spray/lime. I'm going to store my rd bales until the coming Winter to determine if hay prices increase. Bright side is I pay my neighbor no lease & he wants tax ag exemption on his fields.

I need to perform the "Old Aggie Solution" & lease more hay fields


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Inventory from last year is high, people selling 4x5 bales for 30$ a bale in some cases. We are getting 65$ for a soft core 4x5 with local delivery (6 miles away) included. Warned them I can't hold that price next year with my fertilizer and fuel costs. We are discussing pulling 10-80 acres out of hay.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Yields through the roof in our area, last years hay going cheap. Lost 2nd good customer to cheaper hay this week. Barn and yard is full of hay so stopped making more, bush hogged 7000 square bales worth of hay that had over 7000$ of fertilizer applied this spring, bit of a sick feeling. Bought a 6 row planter last month to make good on pulling fields out of hay.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Plenty of hay to make here late as well but I don't see much if any being made. I am one of the very few locally (20 mile radius) still making squares to sell. Just about everyone has gone to RB, very few, (less than 5 operations in my travels about) making big squares. most of the corn was put in late due to cold but most looks ok, not stellar. Beans look fine.


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## chevytaHOE5674 (Mar 14, 2015)

Best yeilds I've had in 10+ years UP here and the entire area is the same way. Guys selling hay for less than my cost of production just about everywhere. Neighbors have sm sq bales for 2.50 and 4x5 rounds for 25, that's what I was charging 12 years ago.... 

I have a 2 year supply for my own cows on hand and don't plan to give any away at those kind of prices so it'll sit inside until prices climb or ill buy more cows to feed it thru. Have to run some numbers if it comes to that.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

chevytaHOE5674 said:


> Best yeilds I've had in 10+ years UP here and the entire area is the same way. Guys selling hay for less than my cost of production just about everywhere. Neighbors have sm sq bales for 2.50 and 4x5 rounds for 25, that's what I was charging 12 years ago....
> 
> I have a 2 year supply for my own cows on hand and don't plan to give any away at those kind of prices so it'll sit inside until prices climb or ill buy more cows to feed it thru. Have to run some numbers if it comes to that.


There was plenty of hay to make here as well, just practically no one making sm sqs anymore. I was lucky to get through the year with raised prices and all hay sold. Last two batches of 2nd and 3rd for $10/bale.


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## chevytaHOE5674 (Mar 14, 2015)

I sold 1 of my 2 square balers as there just isn't any money in squares around here. People want them for 2-3 a bale and that isn't profitable for me (although plenty of people sell them for that). I kept one baler to do some custom baling if needed, make 50-100 bales for my own use, as well as bale some straw occasionally. Sometimes the square baler goes 2-3 years between uses.


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