# Strong Southeast Hay prices forcasted



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

This author says to look for strong hay prices in 2012.....thats good news.









Regards, Mike

Southeastern Hay Prices To Remain Strong | MARKETING content from Hay & Forage Grower


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## LaneFarms (Apr 10, 2010)

I know of several hundred acres of hay fields around here that are being planted in peanuts. I do not think there are enough acres left to be able to cover demand. I am going to plant 50 more acres if we ever get any rain.


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## tnwalkingred (Jun 8, 2010)

I hope this holds true Mike. The costs seem to keep rising but the customer wants to complain when the bales go up in price. What is everyone thinking for bale prices this year??????

--Kyle


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## dubltrubl (Jul 19, 2010)

I think in our area, the price will flatten some on rounds, simply because of better pasture conditions especially in TX. I still think rounds will go for around $50/4X5. Squares will still be about $5-$7 range. That's for bermuda. Depends on the quality of course. Lots of folks already baling in our area but there's a lot,,and I mean a lot, of weeds right now!


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Be sure to charge enough to at least be able to pay for the fertilizer for the next cutting.

Even if you do not Need P or K price the quantity of P & K as well as any other little thing like sulfur and zinc.

It may be that nitrogen is our least costly fertility input, even at these prices.

I was considering $7.50/Sq bale and $90 for a RB but with the last increase in nitrogen I am going to NEED $8 & $95 maybe $100 if I want to be in business next year.


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## jamesntexas (Mar 7, 2012)

I cant speak specifically about the south east but as was stated earlier the demand for hay that had been in texas should no longer be there.On a local level yes but no one will be bringing in hay from the southern states like they did last year.
Wilson i hate saying this and probably dont have to but hay prices are falling dramatically. Saw someone with round bales of oats for $40...on craigslist maybe bryan i forget.


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## Hand&Hand Farms (Feb 5, 2011)

I hope someone needs hay this year. Most of ours went to Texas last year. As far as prices here in MS, 5 for square, 30 for mixed grass round and 45 and up for bermuda round.


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## LeadFarmer (May 10, 2011)

jamesntexas said:


> I cant speak specifically about the south east but as was stated earlier the demand for hay that had been in texas should no longer be there.On a local level yes but no one will be bringing in hay from the southern states like they did last year.
> Wilson i hate saying this and probably dont have to but hay prices are falling dramatically. Saw someone with round bales of oats for $40...on craigslist maybe bryan i forget.


Who told you the prices are falling? Probably a hay broker, right?

I just sold my second cutting, I got $250 a ton for my first year hay, and $240 for the rest.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Pricing 1st cut at $235/ton here and already sold 1/3 of it.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

price wasn't bad here over the winter but nothing like the rest of the country's hay producers enjoyed. Demand and price dropped so fast the last part of March I haven't even bothered to haul any to the auctions and haven't had a phone call in weeks for hay.


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## jamesntexas (Mar 7, 2012)

LeadFarmer said:


> Who told you the prices are falling? Probably a hay broker, right?
> 
> I just sold my second cutting, I got $250 a ton for my first year hay, and $240 for the rest.


no ive seen it for myself. This is in Texas and we had a severe drought last year. It had to drop. That effected the price somehow everywhere else(seems alot of hay came from the south) I would think it would help in some parts due to reserves being shipped here. In texas the price has definately dropped as expected.


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## LeadFarmer (May 10, 2011)

jamesntexas said:


> no ive seen it for myself. This is in Texas and we had a severe drought last year. It had to drop. That effected the price somehow everywhere else(seems alot of hay came from the south) I would think it would help in some parts due to reserves being shipped here. In texas the price has definately dropped as expected.


What has the price dropped to? from where? Do you have any actual numbers?

I sold hay to Texas this winter at $250 and $270 a ton.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

I've seen some $50-$60 prices for rolled up weeds, but no real hay yet. A friend that does lots of small squares of Jiggs told me that he was still asking $10/bale. I've got 5 X 5 rounds of ryegrass but I'm sitting on them until I see what the weather is going to do. With the prices of fertilizer and diesel you'll see some people making bales, selling them cheap, and not fertilizing. By July they won't have any grass left.


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## dubltrubl (Jul 19, 2010)

Mike120 said:


> With the prices of fertilizer and diesel you'll see some people making bales, selling them cheap, and not fertilizing. By July they won't have any grass left.


Gotta agree with that! In addition, many folks in our area cut back on inputs at the end of last year, knowing that they could move hay regardless of the quality. It's gonna cost 'em eventually though, like the Fram man says,,,"pay me now, or pay me later!" On a side note, just in fertilizer and herbicide, we have about $170/ac in our hay fields already this year. That's about a 10-15% increase from last year already due to price increases alone so the price of the finished product can't possibly remain the same as the past years. Spoke with the business manager this week (wife) and we agreed to start with prices the same as last years end, and adjust as the inputs change. Our hope is that if the weather co-operates our previous customers will appreciate that we produce a good value for their money and keep coming back. We'll see. Hope averyone has a great hay year!
Steve


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

dubltrubl said:


> Spoke with the business manager this week (wife) and we agreed to start with prices the same as last years end, and adjust as the inputs change. Our hope is that if the weather co-operates our previous customers will appreciate that we produce a good value for their money and keep coming back. We'll see. Hope averyone has a great hay year!
> Steve


Steve, I very much agree with you about trying to hold costs for your old customers if possible. Old customers will appreciate it and I believe it will endear your product sales to them even more.

Regards, Mike


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## blueriver (Oct 19, 2009)

I am not the smartest man ... right now in this area our ground moisture is super good, our Rye grass is so thick and heavy its laid down in areas' can't hardly pick it up with the cutters. Everyone has grass growing and everyone is trying to bale ... I see it this way. We are 30 days from disaster ... it can quit raining and the sun can bake us and we are right back to drought conditions.

Some neighbors have plowed up meadows to venture into peanuts and water melon ... great thats less hay ground for us that make hay. What agrevates me the most is the guys who do nothing, no weed control, fertilize and bale anything they can roll up and call it hay for 30 bucks a roll.

If you have quality clean well fertilized hay put up and stored in the barn ... demand your price and remember someone, somewhere will need hay to get thru the winter.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

blueriver said:


> What agrevates me the most is the guys who do nothing, no weed control, fertilize and bale anything they can roll up and call it hay for 30 bucks a roll.


I have a neighbor who sprays with the wind gusting to 25 mph and his boom 40 inches off the ground and then says the chemicals he bought were not any good.....freakin idiot. He lets Johnson grass take over his place and has baled and sold it in the past.....but everyone in 100 miles has figured him out now.

Regards, Mike


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## blueriver (Oct 19, 2009)

Vol said:


> I have a neighbor who sprays with the wind gusting to 25 mph and his boom 40 inches off the ground and then says the chemicals he bought were not any good.....freakin idiot. He lets Johnson grass take over his place and has baled and sold it in the past.....but everyone in 100 miles has figured him out now.
> 
> Regards, Mike


Yep and just like the old boy who looks at that weedy pasture and thinks theres some grass under there ... hay has been high priced ... I got the old equipment paid for think I'll roll some hay ... 60% weeds 40% grass gets 60 rolls off 80 acres and sells it for $30 ... and thinks hot darn I just made me a quick $1800 ... what he actually did was drive down the price.


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## jdhayboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Hay prices here in and Houston Texas, I believe will be high until mid summer IF we continue to get rain and hay supplies are built back up. The whole country's hay supplies took a good hit this past year. We have rolled around 100 rolls and the ones that I felt were the best went under cover and are goin for 130. And people are happy to get it. Pure ryegrass on the outside getting 100. Yeah that may be a little high for the quality of grass that it is but I'm not overly interested in selling it. If people want it they can have otherwise I'll feed it before I give it away. 
Around here and Probly most places it only takes around 3-4 weeks to start getting dry again. In fact, it was that way the inch Plus of rain we got yesterday


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

In East Tennessee, square bales are fairly strong, Timothy/Orchard Grass-$6 and Alfalfa-$8.....and higher for both in many instances. Round bales are pitiful.....just cannot sell a 1000# rounder for more than $30 in most instances.

Regards, Mike


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## jdhayboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Vol, why is that? I dont understand what people are thinking. Its good for the producer of square bales tho. $6 grass hay square, 18-20 square per round. That over a hundred a round in squares. 
I think its just kind of worked out this way but our good outside rounds of horse hay are half price of squares. So if $8 square then round would be $80.


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## dubltrubl (Jul 19, 2010)

jdhayboy said:


> Vol, why is that? I dont understand what people are thinking. Its good for the producer of square bales tho. $6 grass hay square, 18-20 square per round. That over a hundred a round in squares.
> I think its just kind of worked out this way but our good outside rounds of horse hay are half price of squares. So if $8 square then round would be $80.


That's always puzzled me too. I think alot of it has to do with what was stated earlier, that low price coupled with low quality drives the price down artificially. I don't mind selling our round bales a little cheaper, but I refuse to lose money on 'em too. Let's be honest though, there are alot of folks out there making rounds out of crappy hay. They tend to sell 'em cheap. That makes it difficult for those of us that try to make a good product to command the price we should get for the value of our hay. Also, some people can't get a good handle on the quality of a round bale just by looking at it. They end up getting some rounds at a lower price and think, "Wow! I made a bargain!" then continue to try and buy later at those same prices, rarely considering the feed value unless an animal gets sick. Horsey folks that buy both (from me anyway) rarely scrutinize a round bale, but will sniff, feel, break open a square bale, twist, prod ,and poke it until they're satisfied they're not feeding their horse anything but the best. Not ever realizing, (even after I tell 'em) that it's the same grass from the same field and cutting, just a different package. I've even had folks buy squares from me, but turn down the rounds, just to drive down the road and load up on rounds because they were $10/bale cheaper. I know the fields and the producers, and know they put almost nothing into their fields, but I just keep my mouth shut. Makes no sense, but people think and vote with their pocketbook.


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## jamesntexas (Mar 7, 2012)

LeadFarmer said:


> What has the price dropped to? from where? Do you have any actual numbers?
> 
> I sold hay to Texas this winter at $250 and $270 a ton.


The only thing i have is craigslist ads and common sense. Just DO NOT base anything you do over what happened last winter in texas is all im saying. My brother bought hay from mississippi for $100 roll sight unseen....suppose to be good etc etc....puny rolls that someone baled after the grass dried on the stalk...mixed with leaves and some type of a mesquite/locust limbs. Horrible Horrible hay.....had to feed the cows something. 
Year before it was.....$40-$60 and then it shot up to $100-$150. Locally i am seeing hay on the cheap end for $60 a roll. As someone else said about the rain.....what it goes to from here depends if its gets dry again. Thats a big "who knows"....this year first cutting has been good i think for the whole state.At least everywhere i have been.No one down here has reserves.I dont know what impact texas had on the price of hay everywhere else last year but at the moment it wont be having a positive impact on the hay price(for producers).--------------im not an expert in any way....just a reporter from the front lines lol

edit---around here alot of prices on hay varies. I dont think its always quality but some of it has to do with people who bought expensive $100 plus rolls last year and are trying to sell them to get there money back.Some hay "importers" was riding that wave of desparation that cattle people had, making some money and eventually the grass started to grow again. I dont know if they are selling it or not.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

jdhayboy said:


> Vol, why is that? I dont understand what people are thinking. Its good for the producer of square bales tho. $6 grass hay square, 18-20 square per round. That over a hundred a round in squares.
> I think its just kind of worked out this way but our good outside rounds of horse hay are half price of squares. So if $8 square then round would be $80.


Most of the people in my area who round bale, bale lesser quality grasses(KY 31 fescue). Many horse folk here do not feed round bales because they have had bad experiences with RB's so they incorrectly assume all round bales are bad for horses. No one sells horse hay by the ton here.....strictly by the bale. I wish it was like swmnhays customers(mainly RB's), but its not. I have quality RB's in the barn now(Tim/Orch.) and cant sell them because I need $80 for them. Alot of women do the horse thing here and they all want something that they can easily handle like a 50# square. I have given up on trying to sell high quality RB's here. I used to foal out broodmares and I fed high quality roundbales all the time in my foaling paddocks. I have foaled over 350 mares and never had problems because of how I fed the mares. Just hard headed hillbillies I guess.

Regards, Mike


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## jdhayboy (Aug 20, 2010)

People are just funny. I have people that swear that rounds are the best so they dont have to go out and feed them everyday, but also say they stand out there and gorge on it all day. Then square bale folks like them because they control how much they eat so they feel like they save money by feeding this way. In reality, they may be spending the same amount each. Round bale horse may be eating 30 lbs of hay and square horse may be eating15 lbs a day. I'm not sure its just a thought I had. I've also told people buy some panels put round in corner of fence and when u get home from work let them in to eat for a couple hours, then shut them out when your not home. 
Sounds good to me... but I dont have horses in my back yard.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Vol said:


> . I have given up on trying to sell high quality RB's here. I used to foal out broodmares and I fed high quality roundbales all the time in my foaling paddocks. I have foaled over 350 mares and never had problems because of how I fed the mares. Just hard headed hillbillies I guess.
> 
> Regards, Mike


I had a guy I must have sold em 2000 round bales over the years, he had 30-35 of his own then boarded another 10-15 hayburners. In all those years he never had a hay related health problem. Had another guy that when I went to round bales he found somebody else to make his hay as he said round bales kills horses, first had some folks making idiot bricks for him, that didn't work out so he had somebody else making large squares for him, that didn't work out either. The last five years I've been making it again, all in round bales, he ain't killed a horse yet and he's happy as can be with the rounds. He doesn't even store them inside or even bother to cover them, sets each one on its own pallet with a foot of space around them and leaves em outside till he needs one.


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