Scary Times

[SkyWarrior]

Today I was looking on CL for hay/feed. We have a hay shortage in western Montana to the point where people are offering free shares on horses, cows, etc. if you pay for feed. The only person selling hay was asking $7/bale, which is more than $200/ton. I saw someone offering free moldy cow hay, but I bet it's gone.

Sigh. Going to be a long winter. I'm looking to try to stretch the hay I have for the horses, goats, and llama. Any thoughts?

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Wish I could help you. We have the same thing going here--$7-12 for a 50 lb bale.

 

[pridegoethb4thefall]

Siiiigghhh.... You guys, do you know what a bale of good alfalfa hay goes for here in Nor Cal??? 19.99 a bale!!!! Yup, its rough. You can buy stemmy alfalfa (2nd cut) for 17.99, but the goats don't eat it as much, so its a waste. Very hard to find it for less, unless you buy it off CL strangers, or from the feed store in bulk (and then you only get about a dollar off per bale, and they charge you 39-60 bucks if you need delivery)

Although, the bales average 100-115 pounds each, they have been getting lighter, some only 90-95 pounds. And for some reason, ALOT of people are switching to grass hay, so what used to be the cheaper alternative at 14-15 bucks, has shot up to 20-23 bucks a bale. Flakes are lighter and thinner too. Prices stay the same all year round too, even with lots of competition around between stores.

People are even buying the cheap stock hay for cows that they KNOW has been wet and probably has mold. Its so bad...

 

[SkyWarrior]

Luckily we have enough hay for 2-3 months. After that . I'm thinking of supplementing with alfalfa/hay pellets just to make the hay last longer. Tomorrow, I'm going to call someone in Idaho who has barley pellets and find out how big one of their bags are. It's expensive, but if I can get enough for a couple of months, it'd be worth it.

What's worse is taxes have gone up. Didn't need that.

 

[alsea1]

Between the natural weather problems and Obama's war on economical energy its gonna get tougher and tougher to feed our animals.
After work I may wind up cutting brush for em on scrub land.

 

[pridegoethb4thefall]

Speaking of taxes... I did forget to mention that over here, if we are buying hay for 'livestock', we do not have to pay sales tax on the hay. BUT, if we buy hay for HORSES, we DO have to pay the sales tax. No tax for cattle hay, goat, sheep or swine hay, but once they know its for horses, you pay tax.

Is it like that for anyone else, and do you know why?

 

[RemudaOne]

We are tax exempt for all livestock feed and small equipment like feeders and that sort. However, not tax exempt for the LGDs food. I guess I can understand why they did that but it would sure help if that were included.

Here you have to apply for the tax exemption then that send you a card or you can do it online.

 

[goodolboy]

You might check into soybean hulls. It's a good cheap filler. Might help you get thru.

 

[purplequeenvt]

$7-20/bale?? That is crazy! You should move to VT. We didn't have the best hay year, but there is still plenty of hay and we've been paying $4.50/bale for really nice 2nd cut grass hay, no tax either.

Alfalfa pellets, hay stretcher pellets, soybean meal, and corn might help make the hay go farther.

 

[elevan]

Hay prices are going up unfortunately for a number of reasons but the biggest factor is the drought that hit the midwest and western states this past summer. Hay here in Ohio has gone up a few bucks a bale as it's being shipped west, so those who need it here are paying the price as well.

Looking for alternative feeds is definitely a good idea, if they are available to you.