OH NO hay crisis!

[flyingmonkeypoop]

1st cutting of alfalfa is selling for $240 for the cheapest so far, its crazy. I am so lucky we get free hay from a friend.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
$240 for how much?... We don't have a hay shortage here, but I have so much on my plate that I want to get the hay order cleared up before I tackle, or think about the other things, like fencing, etc. Clearly, I can put up some basic electric, but if I don't have hay... well, that'd be difficult to work around! Of course... we're putting up post and rail (3 rail) with a line of electric polyrope at the top, on the inside, but the hay issue is something I want cleared up... I like to be organized

 

[lilchick]

Hay is plentiful here in Indiana. I know the talk is everyone will plow up their hayfields to plant corn and soybeans!
but some farmers already have the expensive hay equipment and can make decent money at it...
I have 3 people to buy from and it is 4.00 to 6.00 a square bale delivered and stacked in barn.. grass mix hay to pure alfalfa...
my worry is the price of feed right now....

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
Feed isn't so bad here, I know chicken feed is about $11-$14, which is pretty good feed wise, and an 80kg of sweetfeed for the horses is about $16.00/bag, more or less, in the summer we feed a few haycubes with our feed as well, just incase the grass is subpar.

 

[ksacres]

Hay is around 240 a ton here as well.

We have used the "big" bales before. The people we get them from load them on rollers then they basically just back up and stop suddenly and the momentum carries them off their flatbed. Wherever they land is where we use them from. They aren't difficult to use, they flake off just like a smaller bale does, the only problem is you can't move the bale itself.

 

[ChuckenGirl]

put tarp in your truck bed, put the bale of hay on the tarp, and let the tarp slide out with the hay on it.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
Yeah that's my problem, and because I'm going to be gone for a good 6 months out of town without transportation back, and since I'm pretty much the strength on the farm, my mum needs to be able to feed by herself, move the bales incase something happens by herself, etc.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
We don't have a truck... it wouldn't have been us bringing it in anyway, it's someone else. Now it looks like we'll be finding a new supplier who can provide us with small bales we can handle, 80lbs is even good for us. We're getting a truck, but lol a ford ranger would die under the weight of one of these bales.

 

[kinnip]

Colour me envious! With the drought here in GA, the hay is super expensive. I pay almost $9 for a regular sized bale of Bermuda and $14-$15 for a bale of alfalfa. I hate the alfalfa we've been getting too, it's nothing but dust and thick stems. Ever tried to talk a goat into eating stems, waste of breath! I drove one town over a couple of days ago thinking I'd find some different stuff, but no dice. I think the whole of W. GA has been flooded with the same garbage alfalfa.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

We're going to go and look through kijiji, and the papers, feed mills, etc. Ask around is the best thing we can do, but for the time being it looks like we'd be screwed regardless, and won't need the hay... as the bank is mucking us about BIGTIME.

Who knows, this time next week I could be living in rental because the mortgage isn't coming quick enough, even though the inept idiot who's doing it had 4 months to do it.