Makin' hay

[Denise]

Just got in our yearly supply of hay for the horses for next winter and I was wondering for how many other people makin' hay is a big part of this time of year. (It seems that if its hay you're makin', you gotta drop the g...) If you only have two horses, it doesn't take a huge amount of time to get all you need, even if you do feed for about the same amount of time as they graze. Today I found out that if it is 30+ C and you are picking and stacking - sorry, pickin' and stackin' - small square bales by hand under a burning sun, and you dump water on your husband's head, you get a "thank you" rather than retaliation.

So, how's your haying season going?

[superchute]

Haying here in South Dakota looking great. Making mostly round but the little squares are next week and we pick and stack with the bobcat make it faster and my back feels better. ON the other hand if I stacked them by and I would be in a lot better shape!

Some here this year running over 2 ton to the arce lots better then . 5 last year

Russ

[Randy Cornelius]

I am in the middle of hay season here in eastern Kansas. We put up 800 + small square bales this Tues. Thanks to my son Riley and his hay crew. He delevered 350 bales to area horse people. It is making real good this year got about 100 bales to the acre which is good for this county. I start on big bales next week if the rain will hold off. I have had to raise my prices this year but if I cannot make any money at it I might as well just quit. Fertilizer, chemicals and diesel fuel along with wire that we tie the bales with have doubled in price. We are delevering it for 6.50 a bale and letting them pick up out of the field for 4.50. We are selling good brome hay. Just wondering what people are paying in other parts of the county. I have raised the delevery charge because I was hoping people would quit having me delever but not the case! People what it stacked a certin way or the boys have to carry it a ways because they cannot get the trailer in close so that is why the delevered hay is so high. It takes 3 times as long to delever as if I would just put it in my barn.

Happy 4th of July

Randy

[Rayban]

We may be asked to move to an appropriate forum but...as long as you have asked....

I don't make hay, I buy it....last year hay was scarce around here (SE MICH) so it got up to $5 for a small square, some paid up to $7...usually $2.50/3.00 range......while hay is plentiful now, they still are getting $5....they are blaming the high cost of fuel....fuel is costing $2.00 per bale more???? I think not.

I also just paid $25 for 100 lbs. of crimmped oats....I'm thinking this horse has got to go.....

[ClayB]

Since I leased out my ranch a few years ago, I dont put up the hay myself anymore, but I sure feel bad for the guys around here that do this year. We had a dry winter and spring. Had a couple weeks of wet weather to make things green up in May, but then it got hot. A few days of mid 90's and things are really drying up fast. There wont be much hay around here and the crops are not looking good either. With the price of fuel, not sure too many people are going to be able to haul hay in. My 3 horses might end up going to town this fall too.

[Randy Cornelius]

Clay, just to give you a little perspective. 3 yeas ago diesel was 1.00 gal off road, fertilizer was 500.00 a ton and wire for the baler was 48.00 a roll. This year off road Diesel is 4.50 a gal and fertilizer was over 800.00 a ton and wire is now 70.00 per roll, weed control chemical went from 60.00 a gal to 120.00 a gal. I have put up a little over 1200 bales of hay so far and used over 200.00 worth of fuel. It cost 1.25 a bale just to have the hay crew pick it up and put it in the barn this year up from .60 a bale. I have crunched the numbers and I have 3.50 per bale invested and that does not include my time riding the tractor for hours on end and any repair bills. The brake job on my tractor last fall was 1800.00! So I am just like anyone else in business, I diserve to make a profit. If you are paying 5.00 a bale you better be thankful. Sorry but all these high prices have me fummed just like everyone else. You pass it along or go out of business.

Just to make this leather related, I got 2 hides from W&C yesterday and the shipping was almost 75.00. Used to get them for 25.00 shipping.

Randy

[Rayban]

Clay, just to give you a little perspective. 3 yeas ago diesel was 1.00 gal off road, fertilizer was 500.00 a ton and wire for the baler was 48.00 a roll. This year off road Diesel is 4.50 a gal and fertilizer was over 800.00 a ton and wire is now 70.00 per roll, weed control chemical went from 60.00 a gal to 120.00 a gal. I have put up a little over 1200 bales of hay so far and used over 200.00 worth of fuel. It cost 1.25 a bale just to have the hay crew pick it up and put it in the barn this year up from .60 a bale. I have crunched the numbers and I have 3.50 per bale invested and that does not include my time riding the tractor for hours on end and any repair bills. The brake job on my tractor last fall was 1800.00! So I am just like anyone else in business, I diserve to make a profit. If you are paying 5.00 a bale you better be thankful. Sorry but all these high prices have me fummed just like everyone else. You pass it along or go out of business.

Just to make this leather related, I got 2 hides from W&C yesterday and the shipping was almost 75.00. Used to get them for 25.00 shipping.

Randy

I've never had it broken down for me before like that ...but now that you do, it reinforces my thoughts....the horsie's gotta go...

[rawhide1]

Howdy everyone!!

I've been trying for a month now to get the hay down. But when it rains every three to four days it's kind of hard to do. So i'am not to sure how good or how stemy the brome will be when I do put it up. I've never had to wait this long to bale brome. I think it will take 3 to 4 days for the windrows to dry because the hay is so thick this year. But I guess the horse's can eat tuff hay or go hungry. Hay goes for 4.25 to 4.50 around here for good brome. It cost me 88.00 dollars a acre to fertilize, 10.00 a acre to have it swathed, .30 cents a bale to have my neighbor run his baler, and me and my brothers stack it on the trailer and put it in the barn. And then maybe 100.00 for pizza and beer. Have a Great 4th!!!!

Mike

[Hedge]

We loaded 300 grass squares yesterday. Looks like we'll be knocking some down this week and baling some rounds. Got a possible deal on 100 squares for $2.50 each and will be working shares for the rounds. I figure I'll need only 20-25 rounds for the winter and keep the squares for standby.

Hay season isn't what it was last year. Looks like it's going to be a might lean.

[roo4u]

well iwas paying 6.50 bale for teff(sp?) hay, which i had to load myself, but the idiot that grew it didnt stack it right and used a cheap tarp in a very wet year and his entire stack is now moldy...some gray mold, some black mold...and he doesnt care...so now i cant get small squares because almost nobody in this part of ne puts them up...too much work they say...and they dont do anything by hand here. saw some beautiful alfalfa the other day best ive seen since i left california but the ranch that grew it dont want to part with any of it. i dont like to buy big rounds because you cant tell what your getting...they dont knowhow to put up horse hay here...cut it and leave it inthe field until it is burnt to a crisp or gets rained on and molds. if i could pay 4.50 for brome id be a happy camper