Misfitmorgan's Journal - That Summer Dust

[misfitmorgan]

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

I'm sure, i would do the same thing if i lived someplace that had higher prices and a lack of hay lol.

 

[farmerjan]

Rather than burn it, I would sell to a hay broker. But, what about getting some feeder steers or heifers and market the hay through them? You can buy some mediocre stuff here for under 1.00 lb and if you fed all this hay to them, and they only brought 1.00 lb and they gained 3-400 lbs you still would be a bit ahead of the game. We have a big surplus due to the milder winter, but I would rather carry over 500 or 1,000 round bales than not be able to find it. And we are holding back more of the young stock and feeding it so that they will bring more per head even if less per pound since we have the hay. In fact a neighbor gave us some 2 year old wrapped hay that we are rolling out on the ground and they are picking what they want and the rest they are laying on and the benefit is it is adding organic matter back into the soil. I have never heard of anyone burning hay here. They will usually just roll it out on poorer ground or use it to fill in gullies etc if it gets too old.
And purposely letting it get spoiled to collect insurance is just unbelievable. I can't imagine a farmer doing that here. At 1.00 a small sq. bale for mulch hay, it is better than burning it. But yes, it costs more than 3.00 a sq. bale to make it and we can't make enough small square bales to keep up with the demand. Yes there are alot of farmers that are selling it cheap to be able to make room for this years crop of hay.....I don't know the answer. We will probably carry over 7-800 rolls by the looks of it....but again, from weather that is up in the 60's we are due to drop to the 30's with the possibility of snow this weekend now...How crazy can you get. The cows have been going through alot of hay in the past 2 weeks, 'cuz there is nothing to pick through in the fields yet, even with the temps saying spring.

 

[Bruce]

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

Actually straw bale houses are kinda popular and really well insulated. Other than the really thick walls, you can't tell them from a regular stick built house once they are finished other than people wanting to make the uniqueness of it apparent. Not sure what bad things happen if you use hay instead of straw though.

 

[Baymule]

Square bales of Bermuda grass hay here goes for $10 to $12 at feed stores, including TSC. Individual sales are around $6

 

[misfitmorgan]

Rather than burn it, I would sell to a hay broker. But, what about getting some feeder steers or heifers and market the hay through them? You can buy some mediocre stuff here for under 1.00 lb and if you fed all this hay to them, and they only brought 1.00 lb and they gained 3-400 lbs you still would be a bit ahead of the game. We have a big surplus due to the milder winter, but I would rather carry over 500 or 1,000 round bales than not be able to find it. And we are holding back more of the young stock and feeding it so that they will bring more per head even if less per pound since we have the hay. In fact a neighbor gave us some 2 year old wrapped hay that we are rolling out on the ground and they are picking what they want and the rest they are laying on and the benefit is it is adding organic matter back into the soil. I have never heard of anyone burning hay here. They will usually just roll it out on poorer ground or use it to fill in gullies etc if it gets too old.
And purposely letting it get spoiled to collect insurance is just unbelievable. I can't imagine a farmer doing that here. At 1.00 a small sq. bale for mulch hay, it is better than burning it. But yes, it costs more than 3.00 a sq. bale to make it and we can't make enough small square bales to keep up with the demand. Yes there are alot of farmers that are selling it cheap to be able to make room for this years crop of hay.....I don't know the answer. We will probably carry over 7-800 rolls by the looks of it....but again, from weather that is up in the 60's we are due to drop to the 30's with the possibility of snow this weekend now...How crazy can you get. The cows have been going through alot of hay in the past 2 weeks, 'cuz there is nothing to pick through in the fields yet, even with the temps saying spring.

Cattle here are not cheap a 3 week old meat steer is around $500 and a 3 week old milk steer is around $250-300, as they get older the price goes up by leaps and bounds. An 11 month old milk steer sells for around $500 oddly. Sometimes you can find deals on meat steers around 4 months for about $500 but not often. We could do milk steers but if you feed them up on hay they dock you at the auction for the hay gut on them. We would also have to castrate them ourselves and dont have the equipment. We also dont own a trailer or have the pasture space for cows atm.

We dont burn our hay other people do, lots of them. When you have 10,000 bales of 1st cut grass and you see 1st cut alfalfa selling for $3/bale there are not many options. The farmers try to hold onto to the hay as long as possible but as i said before when your hay storage is full and it is the new season there isnt a lot of choice. Atm there is so much hay going thru the auction the prices are nose diving badly like it cost as much to get it there as you make. The hay brokers have stopped buying hay which is what is making everyone resort to the auctions. At the beginning of winter brokers were buying for $8/bale those that got in on that deal are doing fine, by december the brokers dropped to paying $3/bale and by February they stopped buying.

We are not allowed to roll out hay and just leave it, nor fill in gullies with it. If you leave old hay piled up to long the county will come by and sight you with a ticket because it is a fire hazard. DEQ will come try to sight you when you burn hay too but most just say it started on its own....musta had a few hot bales, etc.

The ones who let their hay get rained on are the same ones who will not poorly plant a soybean field to collect as well. These are not the smaller or mid-level farmers these are the big corporate ones that moved in. One in particular is well known for it but when you farm about 80,000 acres i guess you dont care about ethics anymore. This same farm will let the hay get rained on, collect and then round bale it and sell it for $5-15 a bale.

We dont really have hay shortages here so no one worries. Back in 2011-2012 we had a "drought" and hay prices got high like $9/bale but only for about 2 months then the brokers brought in hay from other places and the price fell back down. Far as i know that is the only time hay has gone over $5/bale in something like 35 years.

We do want to get steers/cattle but atm we just are not set up for it and with the possibility of not being able to get our financing its not a good time to try to sink money into livestock we might have to take to the auction.

Actually straw bale houses are kinda popular and really well insulated. Other than the really thick walls, you can't tell them from a regular stick built house once they are finished other than people wanting to make the uniqueness of it apparent. Not sure what bad things happen if you use hay instead of straw though.

I know they are but so far i havnt seen/heard of a single one being built here. I think the problem with hay would be the heat/moisture trapped in the bale, maybe if you used year old hay where it had had time to dry out. I dunno i havnt looked into it much yet. I wonder how the insurance companies feel about straw/hay houses.. lol

Square bales of Bermuda grass hay here goes for $10 to $12 at feed stores, including TSC. Individual sales are around $6

Only thing at our TSC is compressed timothy bales for $18.50/bale. I dont know anyone who uses it.

 

[Baymule]

If I ever saw alfalfa selling for $3 a bale, I would crap my pants, quickly change clothes, then buy all I could get. Nothing here but grass hay, Alfalfa is brought in and is high. Never buy it

 

[misfitmorgan]

If I ever saw alfalfa selling for $3 a bale, I would crap my pants, quickly change clothes, then buy all I could get. Nothing here but grass hay, Alfalfa is brought in and is high. Never buy it

We got 4x5(750-850lbs) round 1st cut alfalfa STORED INSIDE selling for $45 from what i see too.

We have 4x4 grass 1st cut stored inside for $15 or 4x5 grass 1st cut for $15

Large squares 3x3x7(875lbs) stored indoors...includes free indoor storage thru winter for $40/bale

There is a guy selling 1st cut alfalfa, timothy, and brome RFV 105 for $4/bale which is pretty good for alfalfa mix hay

Lots of others selling 1st cut alfalfa mix for $3-3.50/bale, several selling 2nd cut alfalfa for $4/bale, and i found one guy with 3rd cut alfalfa who has 50 bales left and only wants $10/bale. He hit his head on something im sure of it

If we get the farm we plan on planting some alfalfa so maybe we could bring you some if we ever visit texas!

 

[misfitmorgan]

I am so angry right now i don't even know what to do with myself.

DH got the call back from the private investor.....they dont want to finance the property because there is a trailer house on it The very first conversation DH had with the guy was telling him what exactly was on the property and that we couldnt get bank financing because of the trailer house So instead of telling us 2.5 weeks ago that no they weren't interested, he came and looked at it first and went "oh wait there is a trailer?" apparently. I'm so so angry atm.

First the property owners jerk us around for 4 months, then the bank jerked us around for a month, then FSA jerked us around for 2 months and now this guy jerked us around for 2 and half weeks....meanwhile we are paying $700/month for rent now.

Stinking livid atm.

So the bank won't finance us because the trailer is to old, FSA wont finance us because we cant prove farming experience, FHA won't because we are not up to code, and the private lender won't because there is a trailer. I think we are out of options, we have both made ourselves physically ill with ulcers and being perpetually sick, not able to sleep, stressed to he** and back...i dont know what else to do.

I have the credit and the down payment and no one will finance us for 45k....i mean 45k thats like nothing to them, people buy cars for that much.

 

[NH homesteader]

Ughhh so sorry. You can't get a personal loan or anything? Seriously that is obnoxious.

 

[Bruce]

Only $45K? Geez, yeah LOTS of people buy cars for that amount and a whole lot more as well!!!! What would the place be worth if it was just open land? I don't remember how many acres it is. I would think just the land and that big barn would be worth a few $10Ks.

Maybe ask the private investors what they value the property at.

Could be @CntryBoy777 was right a few pages back, some things aren't meant to be and there is something better just around the corner.