Misfitmorgan's Journal - That Summer Dust

[misfitmorgan]

We had a pretty bad drought last year. Hay prices are up, not sure how the supply is at this point because I bought from a friend. We usually pay around $5/bale ($3 if we get it in the field). One guy in my town was getting $6/bale in the field last year

Here people are piling up their hay and burning it. One farm burned over 500 round bales so far this year.

 

[NH homesteader]

Burning hay?

 

[CntryBoy777]

Well here hay is $6.50/bale and Tifton 44 bermuda is all that is available as far as quality is concerned...and that is all that is produced here. It is probably cheaper to burn than to ship. I'd love to be able to make a trip up there and help ya out, but since my goats don't know any difference, I don't want to spoil them to it, run out, and then listen to their complaints when they have to go back to bermuda.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Burning hay?

Yeah lots of farms do it...or purposely let it get rained on so they can claim the insurance on it because it pays out higher then we can sell it for. The problem atm is normal prices for us are $4-5/bale this time of year, at cutting time its $3-4/bale, year old hay is $2-3/bale and 2 year old hay is $1/bale.

So this year was a bumper crop year for hay, but so was last year. So all these farmers have 2016 and 2015 and 2014 hay because the market up here is flooded combine that with a mild winter two years in a row and you get perfect gorgeous 2016 hay selling at 1.50/bale. Straight alfalfa 2nd cut is $3/bale, 3rd cut alfalfa is $4.50. Generally straw is $2-2.50/bale its $1.50-2.25/bale atm.

We have an abundance of farmers turning under hay fields to plant row crops the past year so maybe that will help but i doubt it. So yeah there is this huge backlog of hay just sitting around and when your hay lot or your hay loft or hay barn gets full and the next season's crop is coming what do you do with it?

You could try to sell if to a broker but atm they are either not buying or paying $3/bale some are down to $2.50/bale. You could try trucking it someplace yourself but it has to be someplace with a high enough price to cover the cost of trucking and you need a buyer at the other end before you truck it.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Well here hay is $6.50/bale and Tifton 44 bermuda is all that is available as far as quality is concerned...and that is all that is produced here. It is probably cheaper to burn than to ship. I'd love to be able to make a trip up there and help ya out, but since my goats don't know any difference, I don't want to spoil them to it, run out, and then listen to their complaints when they have to go back to bermuda.

Thats ok we can just bring you 600 bales....bet that would hold for a minute, just let me know when the hay barn is built

 

[misfitmorgan]

I found two places down state one is looking for 100-200 bales a month and the other is looking for 300-600 bales a year. Great except it is 3hrs from me and the most we can haul at once is 100 bales unless we pay for trucking and then it would be around 600 bales we would need to sell. So we could pay to truck down 600 bales and pay for a storage space and go down once a month and take the lady her 100-200 bales and the other lady how much ever she needs. By the time gas and time and cost of hay and trucking is all calculated in i dont think we could sell for less then $5/bale and locally they sell for $5/bale. It's also for horses and they can be some picky picky people around here.

 

[misfitmorgan]

We had a pretty bad drought last year. Hay prices are up, not sure how the supply is at this point because I bought from a friend. We usually pay around $5/bale ($3 if we get it in the field). One guy in my town was getting $6/bale in the field last year

Far as i can tell there is absolutely not shortage is hay in New Hampshire atm lol. Most are advertising for $6-8/bale but still quite a few selling 1st and 2nd cut at $4-5/bale. Just one ad states they have over 70,000 bales for sale lol. So we need more drought lol.

DH says he could take the hay and make a hay storage barn.....out of the hay and mud/clay...etc. Or build us a house with it....i told him i would pass on both i think

 

[NH homesteader]

Hahah yeah I think people raise the prices because of the drought but got plenty of hay anyway. Jerks!
Was that all listed on the site Bay posted?

 

[misfitmorgan]

Hahah yeah I think people raise the prices because of the drought but got plenty of hay anyway. Jerks!
Was that all listed on the site Bay posted?

Nope, listed on CL. I looked at both though.

 

[NH homesteader]

A lot of people bring in big loads from out of state and sell off the extra. I'll have to check CL