# Is anyone else having a hard time selling hay?



## TBrown

As if this year wasn't frustrating enough, now that we have good hay in the barn no one wants to pay for it. Everyone I talk to is buying hay for nothing. I am not sure where this hay is coming from but it must be. I talked to 3 guys this morning buying hay for .70/ RFV point delivered. How in the world can anyone make good hay for that? Maybe alfalfa seed is worth more than that...instead of cutting it in the seed stage because it rains everyday I will combine it.


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## swmnhay

Yep it's been pretty slow here to.Normally is kinda slow until fall when alot of guys around here fill there feedlots.I know some lots around here are empty or 1/2 full.Got their arse burned on cattle and afraid to fill,banker won't let them,or investor won't put any cattle back in.Look's to me cattle numbers are down especialy in smaller lots 100-500 hd.The larger lots seem to be full.

Dairy guys are loosing their arse to and looking for cheap feed.

Some hay guys get in the dumpit mode just to get rid of it.Some must figure their frt is free and haul it 100's of miles for nothing.GRRRR


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## Production Acres

almost 4,000 tons of 100-120 rfv alfalfa sold last week in WY for $75/ton at auction no hay sold over 130rfv.


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## nwfarmer

I saw those auction prices out of Torrington, WY. I was a little surprised. I cover our hay with tarps. Even in normal years I don't start advertizing until all the cheap hay is gone. Last year we had a wet fall and winter here. A lot of hay molded. Prices then went up quite high and I started advertizing.


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## stevemsinger

I have sold a little bit, but not much. Every year it is the same. We have people advertising small squares for 1-2 bucks a piece. You can't bale it for that. They only stay in it for a short time, but someone else always takes their place when they decide to quit. We will wait until all that cheap stuff is gone and then we will start to advertise as well. I think it is going to be a tough year. People are afraid to invest in cattle, banks not loaning money for them to buy cattle, and there is a normal hay crop here. Going to be tough, but if it is too bad we will buy more cattle of our own and feed it out.


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## rank

It has been brutal since last summer although it picked up a bit last week. A result of the rain in the northeast I figure.

Last year everyone was having record yields and there was a glut. I wonder if this cheap hay is 2008 carryover and everyone is clearing out the barn to make room for 2009 product. As for us, we are building another barn rather than giving it away.

I know this much. I would not want to be making a living on selling compost hay into PA. I predict $50/ton delivered for that stuff going into 2011.


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## mulberrygrovefamilyfarm

rank said:


> I know this much. I would not want to be making a living on selling *compost hay* into PA. I predict $50/ton delivered for that stuff going into 2011.


Compost hay?


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## mlappin

Here its been moist enough the pastures are in good shape yet, and folks aren't terribly worried about hay.

I hardly seriously stat selling until the first killing frost and the grass quits growing. I have steady customers that the price is set for the year so I have cash flow to pay bills all summer.


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## PaCustomBaling

Hey Mulberry Grove, that guy who said about "Compost hay" is talking about Mulch Hay. A lot of guys around will bale up mulch hay (crappy hay) and sell it to the mushroom farms. Right now there're buying mulch hay for around $55/ton to $70/ton.

It's too hard to sell hay right now, especially when every hobby farmer and their brother is selling their 200 bales they made for 1.50/bale... regular commercial producers can't compete with that. It's nice to have a little income come in, but you just have to wait until the late fall or winter to sell when all the little guys are sold out...makes it suck right now though


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## okhillbilly

I agree 1.50 To 2.00 is way to cheap for any hay. I see it all the time here. This people have nothing invested in thier hay. No fertilizer, no weed killer, and no time. They probably paid to have it done and are just getting rid of it. It cost me close to that much just to get a bale of hay made by the time you figure fuel, fertilizer, spray, wire or twine, machinery and labor Thats not paying any help. That's one reason to get an accumulator right there. Put it away and sell it later when they really need it and they will pay for it.


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## hayray

mlappin said:


> Here its been moist enough the pastures are in good shape yet, and folks aren't terribly worried about hay.
> 
> I hardly seriously stat selling until the first killing frost and the grass quits growing. I have steady customers that the price is set for the year so I have cash flow to pay bills all summer.


That is the same thing I have going on. One of my buddies wanted to go to the auction yesterday just to check on prices, I said forget it, that would be the worst thing for us to do since we sell all our hay direct anyways.


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## nwfarmer

Hay buyers in Wyoming don't seem to panic until we get the first hard snow. We just got our hay fields inspected for weeds and a noxious weed release. We haven't put an ad in the paper yet. Our hay is all tarped and I won't sell for $75 a ton.


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## Elliotb16

Our sales have slowed down the past for weeks, usually just a slow time of the year. We'll defiantly sell out this fall/winter though.


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## nwfarmer

Recent hay ads in our papers are $90 to $100 a ton. I just don't see how they can sell hay for that price.


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## swmnhay

GRRRRR.After lowering my price $25 a ton from last yr trying to be inline with the MARKET.Some #$%^& undercuts me by another $20 a ton.Burns my arse why some people want to give hay away.They would not give their corn or beans away for less than it was worth.GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Can't blame the customer for wanting to save some money but when they need a load NOW who do they call.I get to deal with the mud,snow,ice and road postings the rest of the yr.

We need the price of milk to go up for the hay price to rebound HERE.Cattle price could be better also.


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## Production Acres

Just thank God everyday that we control how much we sell a bale of hay for - or the wife does when she tells you that she has to have some groceries this week and could you please sell some hay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The dairy industry would be very fustrating - the very idea of Obama telling me what milk is bringing this month would lead me to start target practicing.


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## river rat

nwfarmer said:


> Recent hay ads in our papers are $90 to $100 a ton. I just don't see how they can sell hay for that price.


Is that for premium hay or decent cow hay?


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## chief-fan

I have learned that you need to build your customer base to sell hay. I have two sale barns within 35 miles of me East and West. The best they were selling good hay for was around $2.50 per bale (small square) I sell mine for $2.50/bale in the field or $3 they load out of the building, or $3.50/bale delivered within 50 miles, full loads only. Had over 1000 bales a couple months ago and it is all sold but 200 bales and that is spoken for now by repeat customers. They could have easily went to the auction and bought hay for $1.75 to $2 a bale and not know what they were getting. They came back here as they knew what they were getting and if there was a problem show up they knew right where I was at. Build your customer base and your hay will sell itself.


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## kshayharvester

Some of the problem around my area is that people are tearing up all their pastures and hay ground and planting row crops. A lot of people have sold their cows and living on crops only. Cattle prices are way down here but I expect them to come back when they figure out that there is not much meat. Right now they are killing the cows for meat rather than selling them to a farmer who will raise more beef for the future. They just slaughtered 250,000 dairy cows that still had alot of life left in them. There is an abundance of meat for now but that will soon change. I think if we can all stick it out for a while things will get alot better for a long time to come. 
Best of luck to all of you and god bless. Every man for himself! LOL As far as I'm concerned if my hay won't sell it'll still be in the barn next year and I won't have to square bale as much next year! My small bales won't leave the barn for less than $5 a bale.


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## nwfarmer

My hay is priced out at $4.75 a bale and it is slow. I ain't dropping my price. These bad storms through here should pick the business up. We have had snow almost every day this last week and this morning snowing again and temp of 9 degrees right now. Supposed to warm up and rain the rest of the week.

My neighbor hires his hay cut and baled. They cut, baled, and stacked for $60 a ton. Hay looks bad but he'll probably sell it for 2 bucks a bale and make money.


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## RP Farms

I was having a hard time finding new leads and customers. I got a few new ones this year and hay in my area is going for a reasonable price. I just sold 500 bales for 4.75/bale. The catch is to sell them enough hay to go the winter and offer to store the quantity of it for them. I have 8 to 10 customers that can only store 25 to 50 bales at there farm. So i sell them 500 bales in the fall and deliver 25 to 50 as they use it. This seems to be the best selling point to small horse farms. It is a nussance to have to deliver more offten but atleast the hay and money are moving.


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## Dano1124

Swmnhay,

How do you like your 605?

Do you net or twine?

Been looking at getting a Vermeer...lots of guys like them in the KC area...can't go new but there are some good looking used for a price I can deal with.


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## swmnhay

Dano1124 said:


> Swmnhay,
> 
> How do you like your 605?
> 
> Do you net or twine?
> 
> Been looking at getting a Vermeer...lots of guys like them in the KC area...can't go new but there are some good looking used for a price I can deal with.


I like it,quite a few improvments over the M.

Used all net this yr,but I have both twine & net option.

About what model,yr you looking at?


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