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2022 Hay prices

Horse Care
#61

Our local grass mix hay went up 50 cents a bale this year. It’s still unbelievably cheap at $4/bale. But we do pick it up in the field ourselves which saves money.

We contract our hay folks to also bale our field and they charge us $3/bale. Thankfully that’s about half of what we need each year.

I also buy about 25 bales of alf, that went to to $11 last year but don’t know what it’ll be this year.

Usually only get two cuttings of grass hay in our area. And I think the average is closer to $5-7 per bale.

We fertilize in the fall and I’m not looking forward to that inevitable increase.

1 Like
#62

In case you are feeling bad about hay prices where you are, here’s the latest in coastal Southern California. Bales are ~100lb, 3 string bales. These prices are from about 2 weeks ago, so may have gone up since then.

Alfalfa or Teff: $26/bale
Orchard: $33/bale
Timothy: $37/bale
Bermuda: $25/bale

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#63

Just fyi, I live in California I used to think hay was expensive till I went to Florida last year, they were paying $30 bale in Feb of 2020, I have heard alfa 3 string bales are over $50

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#64

My local gay guy says demand seems down (?!) it’s been crazy wet in NJ so first cutting is just coming in now. I expected a big jump in prices due to fuel and fertilizer prices but he just charged me the same as last year.

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#65

To me, those are high numbers. :grimacing: How do they compare to previous years??

#66

Upstate NY here. I just checked in with our hay guy as I usually buy 75-100 bales of alfalfa for my hard keeper TB to supplement the grass hay my boarding barn feeds. He said it was a well-above average yield for first cut.

$9.50 per 50/60lb 2 string square for first cutting straight alfalfa is about average for the area over the last couple of years. I paid $12.50 per bale delivered and stacked for third cutting last year.

Fingers crossed that we get a good second and maybe third cutting this summer - a strong supply will hopefully help regulate prices a bit.

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#67

Meanwhile in my area of NJ we are incredibly dry (all the rain goes to the north or south of us it seems), 1st cut was up in early-mid June. Paying $6/bale of a local grass/Timothy mix but they are a little light around 35-40 lbs. They will deliver and stack for no additional charge but I do pay a bit extra voluntarily. Other options for similar hay in the area range from $4ish/bale off the wagon to $10ish a bale stacked and delivered by a hay dealer who also grows some hay locally.

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#68

Those are very similar to my prices in South Jersey. $5 out of the field, $6-8 delivered depending on who it is and the quality. Add a buck or two to those prices for second cutting. Prices have been around that level for several years. My hay guy said he used less fertilizer due to cost so he might get less yield, but it also rained a ton so that might even out. All in all, no notable price hike.

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#69

I board, so I haven’t been tracking hay prices too closely, but hay seems to be up about 50% from previous years. The owner of my main barn said she was able to secure a few stacks of good alfalfa for $325; I don’t know what she is paying for grass, but her hay guy did notify her months ago that it would be up about 50%. Last night I got a text from the barn where I keep my retired guy, and she said with $14 a bale hay, she is going to raise board $150 on top of the $50 increase last fall (to be fair, they had not raised board at all in several years). Looking at Craigslist here, decent grass hay seems to be about $250/ton and $325-350 for alfalfa picked up from the farm.

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#70

That hurts.

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#71

Ok…wow… hay prices for the “premium orchard grass” that is exported out of OR and WA will be a fortune this year, folks. Second cut is just now getting baled and after speaking with my broker, everyone who feeds this should buckle up (get a second job/sell a kidney/kidnap a celebrity’s child) and be prepared to pay significantly more. My cost per ton (roughly 17 bales, three string orchard) went from $360/ton picked up at the hay sheds to $480/ton. This price is only guaranteed for 90 days! I need roughly 6.5 tons to feed my boys for a year. That’s going to be one ugly check to write!

Local “barely farmed” hay is still roughly the same cost as last year-- but when it’s only in 50 lb bales, at $10/bale (cost for delivery and stacking for example), you’re still looking at $400/ton in your barn. Holy guacamole, batman! Horses are going to be selling left and right, I fear. Or worse.

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#72

here cattle are being taken to sales by the tens of thousands

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#73

I have a hay guy who grows pretty much just for me and his wife. Hay will be roughly $430/ton this year, compared to $320/ton last year.

Glad I’m only feeding 3 fairly easy keeping (well 2 easy, one a little less so) Morgans. Ouch.

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#74

Yep, a lot of livestock will be sold this year. The long term forecast is also indicating a 3rd LA Nina year so most likely very little rain for the west-southwest this winter. I only have one horse but there is a certain point when finances dictate selling. For cattle, pasture is poor and hay too expensive to purchase so we’re cutting our herd by roughly half.

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#75

EEK!!!

I am so glad that I did not replace my horses. My last one died maybe 10 years ago when feed was a LOT cheaper.

I am waiting on my lessons and “homework rides” to rise in cost as this looks inevitable.

1 Like
#76

Bale size is different everywhere so it’s hard to compare. When I lived in California the bales were in the 90-100 lb range. In New England it is mostly two-string 35-40 lb bales, and if it’s local it is grass, mostly timothy and orchard grass mixed. Last year was hella wet for so long some people were baling their first cut well into second cut season, and some fields never did dry out enough to cut. I buy local hay and haven’t paid more than $6 for first cut. This year I paid $5.50 because our hay guy drove the wagon up to our barn and we unloaded it for him, saving a lot of his labor and time. But for those who can’t do that, he’s upped his bale price to $6.50 for first cut and $7.50 for second. And he’s one of the least expensive suppliers. I’ve seen $8 for first cut a lot.

Fertilizer has almost doubled – Ukraine and Russia supply most of the urea to the whole world, I’ve heard.

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#77

Great point fledermaus. Comparing hay prices is probably most accurate by the ton.

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#78

If you plan to fertilize, ask for Ammonium Sulphate instead of Urea. You get the same Nitrogen benefits and it is a safer, more stable product to use on your fields. It won’t vaporize if not rained in immediately like Urea does. Vaporizing you get NO benefit from Urea, wasted money.

We do not use Urea at all as a fertilizer in our mix, still get great hay and pasture growth with rain. No chance of any Urea side effects either. Look up Urea Poisoning for more details. Not common, but we have seen it on local horses before.

And last, the price might be cheaper than Urea. My experience has had them priced similarly, but I have not bought fertilizer since April. Current prices could still be the same or vary widely.

#79

Good to know, but the lack of urea will still drive up prices of ammonium sulphate.

1 Like
#80

As someone who has had horses in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, it is ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING to see that alfalfa is CHEAPER than orchard grass.
I am used to Alfalfa being the “premium product” reserved for race horses, and horses with health problem.
I am used to Orchard grass being the “economy product”, used only by those who can’t afford better, with Timothy being the “standard product”.

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