Just clocked 3.5 inches of rain last weekend!! The 1st cut of hay was wild here. Saw it being trucked out everywhere. Squares going $4,5,6 here. We’re lucky.
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I got a round bale this week and chatted with my guy. He hays a lot of land in our county and is very knowledgeable. He’s been helping me improve my one acre for my goats and pony too.
He said they definitely got less bales than normal for the first fields they’ve harvested and diesel prices are up. I asked about price and he said for new customers he’ll charge $60 a round bale, last year it was $50. I insisted on paying the $60 he’s just a nice guy and hates to ask for more he said anytime he’s increased prices he’s had clients get upset.
I asked about supply and he said for sure there might be a shortage this year if we don’t get significant rain we’re in a drought right now. He’s selling to his normal customers first, holding back for his horses and cows before selling to new customers. I offered to pre buy my bales for the year but he said he’ll just reserve them for me. I’ve boarded my young retired guy at his farm for years and always pay board early 
. It’s definitely a huge relief for me to have my hay source so solid.
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to put you at ease, a round bale from the local to us feed store is now just $185, if delivery is needed add at least $20
As you have done, the hay we buy for the goats is locally produced by our farrier who wanted $7 for a two string bale, we pay him $10 as he deliveries the hay for free when he is here to trim/shoe the horses. He keeps us 250 bales a year (actually some is feed to a few of the horses also) he refused to accept advanced payment
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In my area I’d say the going rate of a round bale from the farmer direct is $50-75 and at the feed store it’s $90. I am in Northern VA and very lucky with the ability to get hay around me. The goats eat horse quality but I prefer and request 1st cutting because my pony does not need anything more she’s chunky. When I was buying square bales it’s around 7-10 a bale depending on quality. I had to switch because I’m really struggling with my back and lifting and carrying squares was just awful. I’ve loved the switch to a roundbale, my husband and I push it off the back of the truck onto a pallet behind my fenceline and I have a heavy duty tarp on top of it. I just unclip the tarp, pull off hay into my garden cart, wheel it out to the goat feeder and fill it up. For bad weather I stuff haynets at the roundbale and hang them in the shelters.
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the ranch in North Dakota from which we have bought several horses has
small square 3rd cutting alfalfa hay w/small amt of grass. Beautiful hay for horses, goats, sheep & calves. $7.00/bale
and rounds
affordable cattle hay. Cut right - in the boot stage. Test results from Dairyland available. 1400 - 1500lbs. Nice hay! $80/bale
however, that is 1150 miles away from us
Each horse we have gotten from them was shipped with a transitional amount of hay to help them adjust (it was at least six three string square bales) however we never have had an issue with them adjusting to the Teff hat we feed the horses (the goats would prefer the Teff to their “Goat Quality Hay” but they get their goat hay
Nevertheless, fifteen years ago it was common for local hay to be in the $3 to $4 range out of the field but then there was a prolonged drought that cause the four dollar hay to become twelve dollars and the price never went back to four dollars after the rains returned. Which brings us to $35 a bale in todays market which I really do not expect to ever come down.
A two string bale of local hay if bought at a feed store is proudly being sold for at $14.95, two years ago that would have been under $10
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Looking at local sellers it looks like you can get last years hay for $25.
Prices on mixed grass rounds runs the gamut from $ 50- $ 135.
Squares are all over at $4.50- $8+ just depends on the seller.
Thankfully it looks like people are getting it put up dry and early so maybe the quality will be better for buyers.
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When we got our guy to come and cut for rounds, he came a week later than when i asked. So to my mind, we were a week late (to my way of thinking). When it gets so droughty the grass pulls it’s good stuff back down into the roots… At least he got here then! (May 22-24) because there was not any more rain until June 11!
With all the bonuses i gave the guy i am afraid to calculate the cost per bale…>!!
ok…just did. This year we have paid $124/bale. they weigh about 1,250 pounds. Normally it’s under 40/bale…incl tip/bonus.
I think I want to work for you 
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LOL, mannnn i could always use the help! (but, i gotta warn you, i’m pretty bossy)
I can be bossy and outspoken if need be . We may not get along 
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We did 2 more first cutting fields this week and the yields were awful. Easily 1/2 of what it should be.
The last of our first cutting is down now. We will be lucky to get our customer 1/2 of what he purchased from us last year.
They are forecasting T-Storms/ Showers Saturday night into Sunday but I am not getting my hopes up as the last 3 times they did we got nada.
If we could get a real good rain we would have decent second cutting.
My husband told me of an article in the paper where hay scammers are at work. People paying for hay that never arrives. Buying online and out of state hay you would think people would pay when it arrives but when things get this desperate all rational thinking seems to go out the window.
Between the scammers and the price gougers , situations like this really show some people at their worst.
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Well 
A friend whose family owns many hundreds of acres on Whidbey (Google 3 Sisters Farm if you are of a mind to!) just messaged our friend group and said “get your hay NOW.”
Shit.
My hay was cut this week, I don’t keep it because they put it in rounds but I usually get a little check for my troubles. The rows are SAD. Puny. They used to be big heaping rows that required more than one rake.
Wise Bros cut ‘my field’ this past Monday. So it looks like i’ll be getting some second-cutting alfalfa after all 
I get to take delivery of my last load of LAST year’s alfalfa come Monday( i accept delivery 250 bales at a time) I’ll ask my guy how many bales they got this week. I have paid for 1,764. (at 1st cut prices…so i may end up paying more because low availability or some such…i’m pretty sure this 2nd cut won’t be a lower price!)
I can see them charging a little more if yields are low because they of course need an income too and it costs just as much to cut, tedder, rake and bale a field of low yield as it does for a bumper crop ( sadly).
Have you gotten any good rain your way??
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yeah, of course. I am happy to pay for good hay.
NO RAIN!!! We alllmost had some a couple of days ago…rained all around us, but not here. So we remain dry-as-a-bone.
We had rain April 20th and another rain June 11 That’s been IT!
We are under the same bad fortune.
i have little bluestem that reseeds and takes over more ground every year. I’m convinced that native warm-season grass is the way to go. The great news about little bluestem is, that even though my cattle and sheep turn up their noses at it, the mustangs seek it out! And i am gradually transitioning my herd composition from cows/sheep to mustangs.
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I was just asking my husband about " native grasses" and he said they thrive in our drought conditions. He said where they do grow they are lush and doing fine for grazing.
I asked why we didn’t plant it for hay and he said it is very expensive and hard to get going. I would imagine that mustangs coming off the range would have learned long ago you can’t be picky and survive.
My goats are the worst hay wasters on the farm-- probably because they have never known real hunger
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once they get established they tend to take over. Both of our hay fields have little bluestem, the hay only field is probably only 25%, but the pasture/hay combo field is nearly 50%. (little bluestem doesn’t do it’s thing until after timothy/brom/orchard/and fescue have all already gone to seed) Whenever we’ve hayed early and no second cutting, i graze with sheep and after it goes to seed i brushhog. It gets like this:
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It must be in the undergrowth that is hard to see when the other is so tall?
