# Who's dropping hay acres for row crops?



## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

Curious if many are going to drop existing hay ground for row crops. Picked up a few pieces of ground...going soybeans on my end with it...I have the drill and sprayer, just need to hire a combine in the fall. Seems best for the extra ground, gives me time for other things this summer. Anybody else?


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Switching about 125 acres from alfalfa to row crops this year. No more alfalfa on good clay soils, only on hot sand and reclaimed coal mine ground until economics change.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I'm down on acres from a couple yrs ago after having some freeze out.Lease is up on 40 acres but I may get that for another yr.So as of now looks like 265 acres down from 430.

If corn goes up much more 110 acres may get round up this spring and go to corn.

On the other hand I think alfalfa will be sky high a yr from now.


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## MikeRF (Dec 21, 2009)

I think swmnhay is right about hay prices a year from now.
I am putting in as much hay ground as I can find. At present looks like we will be harvesting just over 300 acres of our own along with about 2500 acres of custom cutting. My own situation is that we keep a full line of hay equipment and nothing for row crops so even in times of high commodity prices I usually end up handing most of my profit to the custom guy.


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## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

That is a great point on the hay prices...lots of hay ground moving to row crops. But for me I am picking up some ground that really needs brought back into production, all smaller fields 3-12 acres, but all I can find. Figure a year of soybeans allows me to burn them and work them back into decent fertility. Still going to plant some of the smaller ones in alfalfa. Cattle will have a lot of oat hay next year from the cover crop. Hope the moisture is decent, working a lot of land (for me) this year it appears. But the small plots are not set for the big boys, so I am taking them. Figure I will never get another chance.


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

I'm not taking hay out, but the 40 - 80 acres I had anticipated planting will stay in corn and soybean production. Local prices friday at close were 6.05 / bushel and new crop 2011 is $5.26 / bushel. Beans are $13.26 / bushel cash and $12.68 / bushel new crop 2011.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

barnrope said:


> I'm not taking hay out, but the 40 - 80 acres I had anticipated planting will stay in corn and soybean production. .


Seeing same thing here.

I usualy seed 200 acres a yr for myself and nieghbors.Last yr it droped to 20 and this yr it may be 0.

Last fall was delivering hay right before freeze up.went buy 6 guys doing tillage 5 were riping up alfalfa.

I can gross $1000 an acre on corn,I can't do it with hay HERE.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Picked up 25 in the spring of 2010, planted 18 more in the fall of 2010, planting 4 more this spring for a buffer zone the length of our drainage ditch. Might lose 16 acres this spring. Couple are getting a divorce, sold one 20 acre lot, 9 woods, 11 hay. The idjits that bought it are from way out of town, spent all their money on the land and will be 3 or 4 years before they build on it, but until then they don't want anything done on it including making the hay so it can "go back to nature." Idijits, lets see how they like their first property tax bill when the land is not producing any kind of income. The other 5 of that 16 is on the original property, not only is the idiot soon to be ex husband not paying his child support, but he hasn't made a mortgage payment in two months going on three.

Have about 14 acres out of 26 in one field that got tracked up this spring at some point during the monsoon, no tilling corn on it this year, beans the next, then back to hay.


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## baddog201 (Sep 18, 2010)

there was over 1000 acres around me ripped out most were customers of mine that hired me to do their baling which is fine because I am hoping price goes up and i make some money on my hay ground


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## cdhayman (Jan 25, 2011)

we have some older fields out, but we are going to plant grass in most of them, and roundup ready alfalfa in the rest. we are a hay company and for now, we won't plant something unless we can hay it.


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## Lazy J (Jul 18, 2008)

We increased our row crop acres but not at the expense of hay. We did choose to postpone planting 25 acres of hay by planting wheat last fall. We will see what this summer brings, we might plant alfalfa this August. If we don't we will defnitely be planting radishes and peas on them as a cover crop.

Jim


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## dbergh (Jun 3, 2010)

We cut down on hay acres by 60% mostly due to stands that were 5 and 6 years old and needed to be rotated out. Most of those acres will go to wheat with maybe some corn . New crop wheat bumped over $7 here last week. To bad I contracted a bunch at $5.75 - $6.00 early on - oh well! 
Will seed another 200 acres back to alfalfa in the fall of 2011-hope things don't crash by 2012. Having quality hay in the stack is very profitable right now and 2011 also looks to be a strong year for hay prices due to reduced hay acreage and strong cattle prices. Dairy industry still struggles or else we wold be seeing $250 ton dairy hay market again like 2008.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

dbergh said:


> Having quality hay in the stack is very profitable right now and 2011 also looks to be a strong year for hay prices due to reduced hay acreage and strong cattle prices. Dairy industry still struggles or else we wold be seeing $250 ton dairy hay market again like 2008.


It's certainly crashed here. About a quarter of the loads no sold again Saturday, best load was $160 ton for small squares for the hayburners, two loads od small squares that were just as nice went for less than 120/ton. Got about 80/ton less than I would have last year. I've only broke 100/ton a few times this year on hay that would have sold in the 160+ range last year and the 200 range two years ago.

Seriously considering another building this summer and not selling anymore hay this winter.


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## dbergh (Jun 3, 2010)

Always amazes me to see how regional hay markets can be-a year ago I gave away 800 ton for $60 so I wouldn't have to compete with new crop that would soon be coming on. Same hay today is $160. Could have paid for a couple of buildings had I sat on the stuff and sold this winter!


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