Hay Inflation

Hay in surrounding states of Texas is getting really inflated on the price. What does everyone think of this? I know Texans have sent hay out to these other states when they were in droughts at close to cost.

This is an outside opinion as I don't live in these areas, but my guess would be this is a chance for farmers who have faced lots of tough times to make a little money in there view.

Simple supply and demand economics. Texas feedlots and cattlemen were the first to star buying up hay, due to the drought as they get spring first. Then the drought spread to Oklahoma and they started buying Hay. Now I am from Kansas and there is no hay to be found because it is all going south. One has to look farther north and east to find hay which adds to the cost of transporting it as well.  (A simplified answer of a somewhat more complicated problem.)

This drought has run long enough that come winter no matter what the moisture situation is, hay will not be in even shorter supply at a much more significant cost.

We can't even make a deal on any hay because the guys that do have hay have enough local customers to not want to mess with the delivery to us. We're looking into cotton hulls and DDG to make it through.

We just bought coastal out of LA last week.  Got delivered Monday night. Hay itself was $60 and trucking was $3.50 mile.  Hay pricing was similar to what we've been hearing in Missouri and Kansas.  Email if you want contact info. 

For reference from where I live in Canada it is about 1600 miles to Dallas.  This year there were several hundred (probably a few thousand) acres of hay in the area that was sold in the windrow.  This hay was then baled in large squares and loaded in reefer vans and sent somewhere in Texas as a backhaul.

We had a drought few years back. It was a good year until mid summer then just went dry. At the beginning of the winter I was paying 30 bucks a round bale. By the end of winter those bales were 75 dollars. Instead of 7 to 10 grand for hay like a avg year I spent well over 17,000.  Supply and demand sucks sometimes. Plenty of hay here in Ohio this year.

LN said:

We can't even make a deal on any hay because the guys that do have hay have enough local customers to not want to mess with the delivery to us. We're looking into cotton hulls and DDG to make it through.

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If your are in cotton country and the crop isn't totally ruined, look into gin trash. It runs about the same values as hay, but you can just dump it on the ground and feed it as you go. Good stuff and cows eat it good.

chambero said:

We just bought coastal out of LA last week.  Got delivered Monday night. Hay itself was $60 and trucking was $3.50 mile.  Hay pricing was similar to what we've been hearing in Missouri and Kansas.  Email if you want contact info. 

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What did it end up costing you? $115 to $120 per roll? Was it good hay and what size? #1 coastal 4x5's are selling in my area for $140 to $175 undelivered. Last year #1 was $50 per roll.

I am in Alabama and areas of our state have good grass. The hay guys I know and deal with are just trying to hold their traditional prices of $25.00 to $35.00 / roll. When you factor in the shipping to Texas or Oklahoma at about $15.00 to $25.00 / roll you are looking at low end $40.00 / roll and high end $60.00 / roll. 

AStar said:

chambero said:

We just bought coastal out of LA last week.  Got delivered Monday night. Hay itself was $60 and trucking was $3.50 mile.  Hay pricing was similar to what we've been hearing in Missouri and Kansas.  Email if you want contact info. 

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What did it end up costing you? $115 to $120 per roll? Was it good hay and what size? #1 coastal 4x5's are selling in my area for $140 to $175 undelivered. Last year #1 was $50 per roll.

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We paid $60 per roll plus $3.50 per mile.  It was irrigated/fertilized and looks good.  We are feeding up corn stalks and last years bermuda before we use it, but I'm very satisfied.  Delivered our total cost was $108 per roll.

We have heard it selling for 125-140 per bale of Bermuda in southern Oklahoma.

We got 2 loads in today.  Hybred bluestem from NE Oklahoma,  $67.50 a bale with trucking.  I was happy to get it for that price. 

wrc said:

We got 2 loads in today.  Hybred bluestem from NE Oklahoma,  $67.50 a bale with trucking.  I was happy to get it for that price. 

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You should be real proud of that deal. Looks like good hay.

wrc said:

We got 2 loads in today.  Hybred bluestem from NE Oklahoma,  $67.50 a bale with trucking.  I was happy to get it for that price. 

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Lucky duck! We finally made a deal on rice hay. It's 8-9% CP so it'll keep the cows going but I'm going to have to supplement the heck out of them. And calving starts in less than a month. Pray for rain!

I still have a good supply of good quality hay for $40/roll if you can provide trucking to/from GA. i do need some cedar fiber and would be willing to work a deal on the trucking. 229-388-7038

I do have the name of a trucker from LA that hauled our hay.  He has at least two semis. If anyone needs that contact info, PM me.  These guys are looking for backhauls from TX so anyone wanting anything from TX (i.e. Cedar Fiber) sent east or north should be able to get it done reasonably.

backhauls how far east ?

cpratz said:

We have heard it selling for 125-140 per bale of Bermuda in southern Oklahoma.

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I can get Alfalfa grass hay delivered out there delivered for under $100 a roll if anyone is interested. 4x5 rolls net wrapped.

LN said:

wrc said:

We got 2 loads in today.  Hybred bluestem from NE Oklahoma,  $67.50 a bale with trucking.  I was happy to get it for that price. 

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Lucky duck! We finally made a deal on rice hay. It's 8-9% CP so it'll keep the cows going but I'm going to have to supplement the heck out of them. And calving starts in less than a month. Pray for rain!

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been a few years since my nutrition classes, but seems like that's adequate CP for dry cows in mid gestation.  Are they milking?