- Feb 26, 2008
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I'm in SC and when you can find hay here it is out of the roof. I've been assured things will be better next month. You may want wait to sell as well. The fact is that yes the cost has risen, however, the farmers are not going to want their hay rotting in the field and will sell it at a loss if neccesary to recoop some of their costs.
This past week I paid $68 for 500 lbs of hay. To put that into perspective last year I would pay $25-$35 for 1000lbs of hay. SC, as well as most of the south, is recovering for the worst drought in history. Many people were forced to sell, or give, their pleasure animals away due to hay prices. I've hung on to mine by a wish and a prayer.
I've been told by two local growers that I have bought from for years that the ground testing is showing an early cutting should be possible. What this means is that there will be atleast one, if not two, extra cuttings than usual. What are they going to do with all of this hay when many customers have sold their horses over the winter? They are going to sell it at whatever prices they can get for it.
I can't see it going down as low as it did before, unless there is a huge surplus. Nitrogen has doubled and diesel is up (see my post under the gas price thread in the other board for my opinions on this), but the farmers will realize that they are going to have to cut the prices some to break even, if not make a profit.
This past week I paid $68 for 500 lbs of hay. To put that into perspective last year I would pay $25-$35 for 1000lbs of hay. SC, as well as most of the south, is recovering for the worst drought in history. Many people were forced to sell, or give, their pleasure animals away due to hay prices. I've hung on to mine by a wish and a prayer.
I've been told by two local growers that I have bought from for years that the ground testing is showing an early cutting should be possible. What this means is that there will be atleast one, if not two, extra cuttings than usual. What are they going to do with all of this hay when many customers have sold their horses over the winter? They are going to sell it at whatever prices they can get for it.
I can't see it going down as low as it did before, unless there is a huge surplus. Nitrogen has doubled and diesel is up (see my post under the gas price thread in the other board for my opinions on this), but the farmers will realize that they are going to have to cut the prices some to break even, if not make a profit.