| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sherrye |
Posted - Oct 26 2012 : 7:06:35 PM
 oh my goodness so i am feeling the tension of finding hay and affording what i find. i know you all in the drought areas must feel really challenged buying feed. i bought hay for $210.00 a ton. first ton NICE. i go back next ton moldy wet had that brown color from being wet and dried in sun. so i took it back. i got some crazy grass that has no food vale. probably ok for a horse. not my cows. so now its bedding. we are trying to sell some cows to buy hay with the money. i may bring my price down one more time. the girls are worth more but bad time of year for selling. so now i caved in and bought big bales they weigh about 900 pounds its like feeding a cow with a teaspoon. one handful at a time.most of the good hay grown here has been hauled to the valley for a better price. then the valley guys haul there hay to us. such is life. so we have been buying a bit at a time. i am hoping to get a few more tons in before the snow flies. we are feeding root crops and spent barley from a brew place to help keep condition. what are you all ding? be it horse, chicken, cow. corn and wheat etc. prices are going to go WAY up i am buying my grains now.
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| queenmushroom |
Posted - Nov 13 2012 : 08:47:17 AM
By the time you by the field, the baler, tedder, rake one or two tractors to run them all plus plowing the field under and reseeding it you're better off just buying the hay. You also have to maintain the equipment as well as fertilize. If you're organic then you need a manure spreader. If you're not the a fertilizer Hopper.. my dh has had antique tractors for years. 3 of the 5 or six fields we do we came with property he's bought the rest we lease as a mowing job where we keep the hay for resale or a portion of.if you lease fields then you need the ability to move equipment which we do have. We just stay local. Sorry to burst bubbles but that is the reality of it. If it wasn't for blueberries and logging, we wouldn't be able to hay.
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
| AliciaNak |
Posted - Nov 12 2012 : 1:30:02 PM
We've been buying meadow grass hay from the same people for a few years now. They figure us in at least 8 ton a year. This year the price did go up to $225 a ton, due to low yield from their fields (water issues here too). Then we drive about 2 hours to get quality alfalfa. This year we brought home 4 1/2 ton at $190 a ton. This *should* be enough to get us to spring, unless I bring home another Jersey girl.
I prefer the round bales/big bales for the cows and small bales for the horses. The cows regulate themselves better than the horses do. One 1/2 ton bale will last the cows about 2 weeks, whereas the same bale in the pasture would only last a week *tops* for the horses.
I'll have to give that a try for the horses, Laura. I supplement my old man (24 year old paint) with senior, rice bran and calf manna. I'll pick up beet pellets and cubes next time I'm at the feed store.
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
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| crittergranny |
Posted - Nov 11 2012 : 4:09:26 PM
Thanks Lorena....These days all quarter horses with impressive bloodlines have to be tested before they can be registered. The papers will tell if they are positive or negative. That is a good thing to know about the alfalfa sensitivity. Not the kind of horses I breed but good to know. What does it do to them?
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
| Annika |
Posted - Nov 11 2012 : 3:46:55 PM
It seems that a bunch of people are growing crops to turn into bio-diesel now and hay is difficult to find in a lot of areas because of that and drought. My land lord have the worst nasty hay this year it's all sticks and weeds. I swear it'd be cheaper to buy more acreage and grow you own in the long run than to keep buying at these prices! Just terrible. I hope that we figure out how to deal with climate change and that the droughts end soon, things are really bad for a lot of folks right now.
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
http://thegimpyfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
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| queenmushroom |
Posted - Nov 11 2012 : 2:52:50 PM
If you have any qh's with Impressive lines, get them tepsted for hypp. Horses with hypp cannot be fed alfalfa. I believe it has to do with too much protien for hypp horses.
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Nov 10 2012 : 06:10:40 AM
I just wanted to share with you ladies that my daughters have been working on converting our 19 horses over to beet pulp and alfalfa pellets mixed and soaked and it is working out so far. If we are able to convert all of our horses over to it then it brings my feed bill from about $2700.00 a month not including the gas and wear and tear on my truck of bringing it from 120 miles away which is another $500, down to about $600 including everything. The Alfalfa provides the protein, and the beet pulp provides about everything else. We are feeding small rations of hay with it right now which has already cut the feed bill drastically, and the horses are all satisfied and healthy. About 1/3 of my horses are trail horses and the other 2/3 high powered race horses and if it works for them it should work for most horses. I am on cloud nine about it. The feed is uniform. No changing hay. No changing hay prices. I had considered using alfalfa pellets instead of hay years ago but it can cause choke if it's dry. So I gave up on it. My daughters did a lot of research and a local lady they work for uses this method and her horses are fat and healthy. She has 12 horses. The beet pulp costs $20 a bag but one cup soaked fills up a large coffee can and it lasts a long time. The alfalfa pellets about 13 per bag. Our friend adds it together in a cement mixer and mixes it up and then measures it out into buckets and soaks it. I will keep you all posted on how it works out.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
| kysheeplady |
Posted - Oct 29 2012 : 3:39:12 PM
I pay about 3.00 a square bale, but I am a reg. and get first pick. I would rather do round rolls, but to much clean up in the spring. I find less waste with the sq.'s
Find someone and stick with them.
Teri
"There are black sheep in every flock"
White Sheep Farm
www.whitesheepfarm.com |
| KansasFarmMomma |
Posted - Oct 29 2012 : 3:32:17 PM
We ended up paying $150 a ton for waterway prairie hay. It's okay quality, but not fantastic. It'll keep the horses fed through the winter though.
Nicole
Farmgirl # 4209
The Strait Edge - Glass Etching, Handmade Jewelry & Country Gifts
Skunk Creek Ranch
Bear Paw Equine Photography
Kansas Happy Homemaker Blog
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| sherone_13 |
Posted - Oct 29 2012 : 08:44:25 AM
We just paid $250 per ton for 12 ton. We usually don't have to buy hay, as we produce our own. However, this year there was almost no irrigation water and we came up short.
Sherone
Farmgirl Sister #1682
Thirty-One Independent Consultant
www.mythirtyone.com/233237
My Blog
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Women are angels. When someone breaks our wings, we just jump on our broomsticks and fly! We are flexible that way! |
| sherrye |
Posted - Oct 29 2012 : 07:11:32 AM
what a variety of prices around the country. i am now buying 900 pound big bales for 90 a piece. i dont like feeding it. as i said its like feeding a cow with a teaspoon. the price is right and its clean green and smells good i am hoping to get more in the barn. trying to get by with 11 head of cows is difficult. we are doing one day at a time. papa has 3 months to go for social security. then some money pressure will be off. the vast majority of hay here is shipped out we get the crummy stuff. so i give the girls beets and potatoes and bananas. they love their treats. hope you all have a happy day. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Oct 29 2012 : 05:53:25 AM
Last year we were paying any where from $125 to $225 per round bale. Of course it all depends on what bailer was used on its size. I am glad that East Texas had some rain this year, rounds are down to under $100 now! 6 rounds at the first of the year delivered cost me more than $1000!
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm!
http://homesteddinmomsworld.blogspot.com |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Oct 28 2012 : 7:43:08 PM
We have had a great hay year here in Ga. Some have gotten 3-4 cuttings. In the field for square bales is about $2.50 a bale. Round bales go for around $25.00. So it's very plentiful, with barns full. I got 180 bales in the barn here and if I need more, I just get it from my friend for $3.00 out of his barn.
It's amazing how the prices are so different all over the country. I sure hope you can find some good hay at a good price, Sherrye. My shee and goats like the more weedy crappy hay than the good stuff. Fine with me, but it sure hurts. They love it though. I have bought good expensive hay for the goats before and they don't like it. Would rather have the more brushy hay.
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
| queenmushroom |
Posted - Oct 28 2012 : 4:40:01 PM
We grow and harvest hay. I feel bad for you and the rough luck you're having with your hay supply. One thing you can do is check over a few bales before the shipment is unloaded. If you find bad bales refuse the shipment. Now we sell square bales for $4/bale delivered $3.50 out of the field. My friends daughter lives in Florida and pays as much as $17.00/bale. Your best bet is to find a local grower and stick with him/her. You'll know the quality. If you do this don't jump from grower to grower to find the best price each year. Be a loyal customer if you get a good grower. Remember, price is going to fluctuate with gas/diesel prices. G
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
| YakLady |
Posted - Oct 27 2012 : 11:13:03 AM
We got some *terrible* small squares, 7 ton or so, 1 ton of which was baled WET so we had to go through each one and check, and toss out to the yaks early or watch the barn burn. These are full of weeds, just terrible. Not worth the $80/ton we paid. I know it's cheap, but the person we had to deal with is flaky and would call us to come pick up right before a rain storm hit, then when we arrived, tried to tell us to go 30 miles back home empty handed. We're never dealing with him again. We can't do that no-notice crap with a baby!
Then we waited until last month and realized "Oh my gosh, where are all the large rounds??" Hay brokers have bought up almost everything in MT and shipped it to the South. Grrr. Luckily, I found an ad for 1300 lb avg. large rounds, we got 27. Hopefully this will last us to Spring 2014. We paid $80/bale. I'm really happy with this hay so far, and have saved the man's number.
It's really hard to find good hay at a decent price. Once you find it, it's best to not let it go!
Sherry, I hope you are able to find good hay! We've also bought a year's worth of chicken and rabbit feed pre-pay when our feed store had a Customer Appreciation sale. We got 16% off.
~Hen 4316~ Just a farmgirl in Western Montana.
Starting a family and raising up a small ranch using natural resources.
www.mydoterra.com/thurman |
| Alee |
Posted - Oct 27 2012 : 08:17:19 AM
Sherry- check out www.hayexchange.com it's a good place to hook up with buyers/sellers. I was looking at that when I was thinking I needed to get hay for Tala for the winter (it worked out we should be good) but if you have a couple thousand dollars- you might want to look at having a semi load delivered from Canada. That way you would have enough to feed through the winter and into spring until grass starts growing again. Good luck! I know it has been tough this year.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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