# Alfalfa Small Squares - Who Buys Them????



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

Who these days has a need for straight alfalfa small square bales of hay? Is there that much demand - even with horse folks?

Around here, cheap hay rules in many ways and a straight bale of alfalfa is the highest priced of small square bales. I should think for dairy, round bales of alfalfa or large squares would be the market vs small squares?

Who's feeding straight alfalfa in volume with small square bales and why?

Just curious.

Thanks!

Bill


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Race horses and people who think they have race horses.


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

8350HiTech said:


> Race horses and people who think they have race horses.


That's funny - true too -LOL!!!!!


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Rodeo horse people, goat people, cow people, sheep people. Average horse person that has always fed just alfalfa. I don't offer advice to people on how or what they feed what. Honestly I don't care. I just warn horsey people on 3rd and 4th cutting alfalfa to be careful. I bale a fair amount of bales in 3x3 bales and none goes to dairies. My cousin puts up lots of small square alfalfa bales and sells quick.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Here, sm sq alfalfa bales are purchased for horses, dairy, goats, sheep, confined exotic deer, etc. And their horses don't have to be race horses to be treated to alfalfa. People want to limit feed alfalfa to their animals. Therefore, they prefer sm sq bales so they can feed a small amount each day. People who have horses don't necessarily have equipment to handle rounds or large squares and don't want to put out a large amount of alfalfa at any one time. Makes great sense to me, and is a niche market for those of us who want to go to the extra effort to grow alfalfa.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Most of my alfalfa small squares goes to horse farms feeding brood mares and their young. I have two farms that buy a large quantity of alfalfa to feed in this manner.....they say the horses really do well on it. They have some very high dollar horses with many of them worth a six figure number. These are mostly cutting horses.....no race horses in this neck of the woods.

Also sell alfalfa to folks that have horses that are being worked/exercised and they feed alfalfa in place of grain. For the most part I sell very little hay to your average backyard pet horse customer.


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## 32-0-0 (May 30, 2017)

Many high fenced ranches in this part of Texas that feed the small squares to their Whitetails as a protein source...many of the ranches that have exotics also feed them so the rich
Boys from Houston can have their canned hunts.


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## Smoothy (Apr 26, 2015)

Up here it's"deer hay" usually sell a thousand a year. Blows my mind what people spend for deer but I'm not complaining a bit


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## kurt1981 (Apr 18, 2017)

I feed alfalfa to cows/calves/horse...........The reason why i like it is alfalfa yields massive compared to grass on my soil.........last year i got 1100 60 lb bales off 4 acres in 4 cuts.......dont think i would have got that tonnage of just grass. I feed squares in bunks every night in the winter and the cows look great and it really cuts back on how many grass round bales i feed through the winter. Also in a drought it still grows well. Also grind it in feed mixer with corn. Alfalfa is the queen.


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

My straight alfalfa goes to horses, alpacas, sheep & some dairy.


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