Excess Hay Supply

[misfitmorgan]

Imported hay can have blister beetles too
Depends on where it came from
A half bale killed 4 horses here last year

No idea what a blister beetle is, we dont have them here. People here can get super picky about hay, esp for horses. One lady wanted hay only if it had no bugs, or grasshoppers etc. told her we couldn't help her. worst thing Herrr for hay is Autumn olive which the dnr planted...stupidly.

 

[Baymule]

Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blister_beetle

But when ingested by livestock, especially horses, the animals may become sick and even die. These insects produce a highly toxic drug called cantharidin.

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4569

 

[OneFineAcre]

If you don't know what a blister beetle is then you might not want to get in the hay business
Or at least make aure you have good insurance
Even if you don't have them there now you could get them
And like I said a half bale can kill 4 horses
Good luck

 

[Baymule]

Blister beetles mainly go after alfalfa and they are not in all states.

 

[OneFineAcre]

K

Blister beetles mainly go after alfalfa and they are not in all states.

You are correct
But you better not get in the hay business if you've never heard of them

 

[OneFineAcre]

Just talked to my wife
Forgot her dad lost 12 heifers about 10 years ago with local Bermuda too high in Nitrogen
If you are going to sell hay better know what you are doing

 

[misfitmorgan]

K

You are correct
But you better not get in the hay business if you've never heard of them

That wasn't me that was bay mule lol

But no we dont have then in michigan, we have no toxic bugs in hay, just some plants that we avoid when doing hay. Generally high nitrogen in michigan is from fertilizing with chemicals and having your ratios off. We do not fertilize unless we send a soil sample to msu...We can also send hay samples to msu for analysis which we would if we were selling out of the area. Atm I'm not sure we even would I was just curious on hay prices and how it differs around the U.S.

 

[Baymule]

If you have lots of good quality hay, there are people in drought or dry situations that would be glad to buy it.

 

[misfitmorgan]

If you have lots of good quality hay, there are people in drought or dry situations that would be glad to buy it.

It's just a thought for now. We have been doing hay together for 3 yrs DH and i so i dont know a ton about it i know more about buying hay then selling it or cutting it, etc. DH however has been doing hay since he was 6yrs old, in Iowa until he moved here 7 yrs ago. He has always worked on farms/for farmers as his main job or on the side. He knows how to run all the equipment for any kind of farming and how to fix it all or trouble shoot it. He still shocks me on how he can remember all that stuff and everything else he knows how to do, etc...its crazy. So basically hes the one with all the info and i am just the one with all the ideas. Often my ideas are not feasible and he tells me if they are not and why.

I dunno i just thought it might be nice to help people get some more reasonably priced hay instead of letting it sit and rot in the field. Thanks for the info all.

 

[OneFineAcre]

That wasn't me that was bay mule lol

But no we dont have then in michigan, we have no toxic bugs in hay, just some plants that we avoid when doing hay. Generally high nitrogen in michigan is from fertilizing with chemicals and having your ratios off. We do not fertilize unless we send a soil sample to msu...We can also send hay samples to msu for analysis which we would if we were selling out of the area. Atm I'm not sure we even would I was just curious on hay prices and how it differs around the U.S.

That didn't come out right anyway.
Just that there is some risk in the hay business.