Official Poll: What is your BIGGEST worry about your herd?

[alsea1]

Dang. I would really hate being dictated to how many I can have. Unless they are being mistreated and starved.
My concern is dealing with parasites effectively.

 

[OneFineAcre]

other...

HAY! Hay shortage to be exact. We will have a shortage this year, my hay man has already informed me. We could tell it wasn't going to be good as last years hay ran out way before first cut was ever done here. Long cold winter delayed the growth, we aren't even at second cuts here and now no rain.

We want to start storing up but have limited storage space. We can only store squares which is a lot more expensive than rounds (we use rounds) but can't move the rounds.

@Southern by choice

You still worried about a hay shortage this year? Both of my hay suppliers are saying it was a very good crop this year. Neither thinks there will be a shortage.
I picked up from one on Saturday and he has a lot more in the barn than last year.

 

[Southern by choice]

@Southern by choice

You still worried about a hay shortage this year? Both of my hay suppliers are saying it was a very good crop this year. Neither thinks there will be a shortage.
I picked up from one on Saturday and he has a lot more in the barn than last year.

Our area had a drought so yes, hay is still an issue for us. We have a few breeders that have given us some numbers to call. We are thinking maybe we should get a tractor trailer load. But then that is $$$ all up front. Not the best timing, we are building a new barn and a milk room. Geesh- goats can be expensive! LOL

 

[OneFineAcre]

Our area had a drought so yes, hay is still an issue for us. We have a few breeders that have given us some numbers to call. We are thinking maybe we should get a tractor trailer load. But then that is $$$ all up front. Not the best timing, we are building a new barn and a milk room. Geesh- goats can be expensive! LOL

I was worried about it last year because I could tell the barns looked light. So, I made arrangements to use a neighbors shelter and would go every two or 3 weeks an buy 2 round bales. By the end of January I had 8 bales, and I knew I could make it until the oat hay was cut.
Was debating on buying another one of those metal carports just to keep hay, and stock pile again, but I think I will hold off for now. Looks like I will have access to plenty.
Good luck.

 

[BrownSheep]

Hay is always an issue here. We go through droughts but are really dependent on winter precipitation since almost everything is irrigated. Irrigation last year was shut off in JULY last year. This year it was shut off towards the end of July. We have supplemental water rights so we had irrigation up until last week.We had a freak week of rain which ruined a lot of the 3rd cutting. There is also the issue of competition. Unlike a lot of crops which you need buyer's contracts to grow hay is an easy commodity to get rid of here. We are the 5th dairy producer in the country and most of that is in a 4 county area, so lots of demand for alfalfa.

 

[Southern by choice]

WOW!

What is interesting is that I just saw an article on a Chinese company that now owns the land where much of the alfalfa is grown. It is a Chinese company that owns the US land that cuts the alfalfa and ships it back to China.

Scary!

 

[babsbag]

@BrownSheep Are you in California?

@Southern by choice There is a very large hay grower a few hours from me that exports all the hay grown. They had a huge fire there last year and lost tons and tons of hay; it burned for days. It never occurred to me that it might not be US owned...hmmm. Will have to research that one.

I buy 21 bales of alfalfa every 3 weeks. I have no less than 4 independent brokers/growers that I have bought from plus 2x that many feed stores. No one has run out yet. It is much easier for me to let them store the hay. Even with the drought my #1 supplier has not raised his prices, the feed stores have, but that is too be expected. When CA runs out of alfalfa I will have to get rid of goats, no other options for feed.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Like Brownsheep said hay is a commodity just like soybeans, corn and wheat.
US has always exported alfalfa
Do you know how many dairy goats there are in China? A lot
China increased alfalfa imports from 2000 metric tons to 76000 Metric tons from 2007 to 2009 and they don't just import from US

 

[Southern by choice]

Like Brownsheep said hay is a commodity just like soybeans, corn and wheat.
IIS has always exported alfalfa
Do you know how many dairy goats there are in China? A lot
China increased alfalfa imports from 2000 metric tons to 76000 Metric tons from 2007 to 2009 and they don't just import from US

Yeah, the issue is the "import" LOL THEY OWN THE US LAND!
China is buying a great deal of land in the US. The "US" is not really exporting as we generally think of it. American farmers are not profiting.

 

[babsbag]

That is the scary part...them owning OUR land