What does everyone plan to do bout hay this year?

[chaparra72]

I mean, is everyone prepared for a HUGE increase in price due to rising fuel prices? I have been stressing about this today, trying to figure how much actual hay I will need, and what it is going to cost. It makes me ill, quite honestly.

That, and of course rising feed costs.

I am really scared. It seems (and of course this is always the case) that when one thing goes wrong, everything does. I need to hire someone to dig me a big hole to bury Fea and Lady, the ground is thawing finally, and Lady is starting to smell (Fea had a longer "deep freeze", so she isn't smelling yet). I know that sounds morbid, sorry.

Then, we have to buy new tires for the tractor, we need to buy a disc and plow for the tractor (and many other things, but those 2 will do for now), we need a somewhat bigger tractor that has a loader to be able to unload and stack big hay bales, as well as making cleaning manure easier, we need new windshields for both vehicles, I need to buy different varieties of grain seed to sow and attempt to grow something to feed the animals, I need to buy a grinder to grind grain for flour as well as grinding whole grains for the animals so I can buy grain in bulk at a much better price. we need a new freezeless hydrant down by the milk shed, we need a new well pump, and many other things, but that is all I can think of right now. Oh, and to top it all off, my BIG fridge is out of commission (compressor, apparently a big problem with this model), and I need another fridge desperately!

Then there is the hay. I am thinking ok, so how much can I get by with, that is assuming that the hay is really good and they want to eat most of it 2 cows in milk, one heifer calf, 10 months old. We also have a bull and n old cow, but they will be in the freezer before to long. Say between 120-150 lbs p/day? That would put me at about 2.5 tons p/month @ an annual cost of around $4500, IF hay is ONLY $150 p/ton, itmay be more. Hopefully next year I will have more psature than I do now and I will have a few months without having to feed hay.

I would imagine that this will hurt a lot of families on this board, not just mine. Does anyone have any idea/s that might help?

[Deleted]

Start emailing, calling or writing letters to your local, state, and national officers.

Maybe if they think we actualy care, they will do something. Gas isn't costing this much for the prodoucers, with japan not buying as much from us, we actualy have a reserve.

Did you know that we use very little oil prodouced here in the US? We sell it to other countries, but we use the foriegn oil here in the states? We need to go local, in everything we can.

[BasleeBackwoodsFarm]

I know people that get paid for keeping their wells capped. It is definately rediculous.

We bale our own hay but it will still be alot higher to produce even for our own use. I hate to think what it is gonna cost us to bale this year. Last years hay, DH got $18.00 per big round bale (about 1,200 to 1,500 lb bale) and $2.00 per bale to haul. We definately didn't make anything at that even last year. I know several years ago when fuel prices got so high bales were going for anywhere from $40 to $60 per bale.

[chaparra72]

Well, I have a little insight on the whole oil/gas thing, my husband is a workover rig operator. For those who don't know, workover rigs are the rigs that move in after the drilling is finished, and complete the well, as well as service the wells to keep them flowing.

Regulations have gotten out of conrol, and oil companies are refusing to drill when they have to comply with all the regualtions. Politicians keep saying that is it the oil companies who aren't acting on approved leases, but that simply isn't the case. There is a "boom" going on in a few different places, North Dakota, Cheyenne etc..., but the only reason that is happening is because these well sites are NOT on public land, they are on privately owned land.

What kind of sense does it make to give money to Brazil to drill for Oil, and then turn around and buy the oil they produce?

[Janene]

I don't want to be the 'doomer gloomer', but combined with the rising fuel prices, and the on-going drought in areas makes me cringe when it comes to hay.
Here's the drought with the US Drought Monitor: www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

So I realize most everyone in these darker areas will continue to buy hay, unless they get some needed rains soon.
Janene

[wyomama]

I'm seriously thinking about taking all my calves to the sale barn except for one yearling and one weanling for our freezer. We usually feed them out and sell them.

I also think about (but haven't done anything about) culling for maximum feed conversion.

[Jenn]

Lady needs some hydrated lime or wood ashes.

Learn how to manage grass growth, maximize pasture...invest in temporary fence...like poly wire and a reel or smart fence. Drought is when rational grazing really shines.

Don't be afraid to cull early. My 2 cows are producing better now with better grass than when I had more cows and more pressure on the grass.

-Jenn

[chaparra72]

How do you all feel about barley hay? I think the folks we get our hay from are going to be seeding barley, and cutting it for hay. They will still have some alfalfa, but the majority will be barley. Their alfalfa hasn't been doing so great, I guess, so they are trying something new this year. I said that I would still need some alfalfa, but I thought barley would be ok. But maybe not? I need some insight here!

We have basically had a drought here for 10 years, so I don't think that will have much of an impact. Everyone here has to irrigate, we do not dryland farm here, not enough rain for even that.

We are trying to improve our soil as much as we can by incorporating all of the good cow manure/bedding into it. Over time, I know it will improve.

I sure hope I do well this year with my garden. This will be a critical year for growing a garden, I think. Also, I have many, many earhtboxes, so I can even keep tomatoes, peppers, greens. strawberries, etc... growing all winter!

[Jenn]

I fed a downy brome/barley mix one year...FABULOUS!

-Jenn

[suzorse]

the problem we are having here is as soon as gas went up everyone jacked up thier hay prices for last years hay, went from 4 to 5 $ per bale to 8 to 10 and also for any grain products, said that they had to
get more cause gas went up,and it will cost more to produce this year, and I feed 3 to 4 bales a day ouch
that hurts I do not have enough pasture to not feed year around
Suzanne

[cowgirlstyle]

I had to pay $210 a ton this year!!! It really put a damper on my profits.

[kristi]

The plan this year was to sprig jigs and buy haying equipment. With the drought we've been in and are continuing to be in we've had to change the plan. Instead of buying haying equipment irrigation equipment will be purchased instead. We should be able to grow enough hay to let someone else cut it this year AND not have to buy any. Next year we'll hopefully be able to buy our own haying equipment. With the irrigation equipment we can also water the "regular" pastures as well and (we're praying) will keep them in grass for a longer period of time.

We've also been in a drought here for several years. We've had to sell off all the beef stock and are in the process of culling the dairy cows now. Hate, hate, hate to do it but have to right now to make things work. I'm personally keeping my two cows and steer and Mama plans to get down to 4 cows, a bull and a steer.

I've been turning the chickens loose to forage and am paying less in feed. We're going to cut down to 1 boar and 2 sows for the pigs to decrease their feed costs as well. They're in a "pasture setting" but with the lack of rain everything has been eaten. We're feeding them every bite. Going to continue with the rabbits though. They do too well raising babies and filling my freezer not to. We have 3 yearling foals and would like to sell one. They're such sweethearts but feed, farrier, shots, wormings for pasture ornaments gets pricey.

Things are hard and going to get worse I'm afraid. I see people with animals for sale or even free if someone will only come to get them. We've also had animals stolen and I fear that will be an increasing problem in the future as well.

[sunnyknollecofarm]

I don't have much good advice about how to get quality hay without spending a fortune.

If you have a cow carcass to dispose of, I highly recommend that you look into composting it. It sounds funny, but compared to burial, it is cheaper, easier, better for the environment, and returns the nutrients to your land. Here is a link to some information on it. compost.css.cornell.edu/naturalrenderingFS.pdf

[kristi]

I often compost the offal from the chickens and rabbits. It's a great way to "recycle".

[happydog]

Regarding the cow burial, around here they take the dead cow out into the woods or an unused field, cover it with a tarp, and put rocks/logs/dirt all around the edges of the tarp to seal odors in and keep out bears and coyotes. They say the animal decomposes very fast and within a few months is all gone.

Last summer we had a pig die in the middle of some other crises and without thinking, dh just dumped him in the woods. He smelled pretty bad for a month or so (the dead pig, not dh) but pretty quickly he disappeared. A lot quicker than my reminders to dh not to EVER do that again, especially upwind from our house. Especially when we found out the dump will take a large animal for a $25 fee.

Anyhow, I'm sorry for your loss. It's awful to lose an animal, especially a big and expensive one.

[goatsong]

Drought? Did someone say DROUGHT!?!? I'm sorry.... I had to laugh. I live in OR, and we are having the wettest year in a seriously long time. Our hay prices are skyrocketing, not because of oil (yet), but because it's been so wet! Very few farmers even got a hay crop last year, and many people are saying that there is going to be a drastic shortage of alfalfa this year due to the weather. Hay prices were $240 per ton of hay (decent alfalfa), or $10 per bale. Prices this year are supposed to be $15 to $20 per bale! Argh!!!

I'm plantin' lots of root crops and squashes for next winter...

[Jenn]

I have found the quality of hay is significantly better (if you can find it) in a drought than in too wet weather. Hopefully, we should get a good crop this year, as the weather has been lovely.

-Jenn

[parndt]

I had to pay $210 a ton this year!!! It really put a damper on my profits.

I wish! The cheapest, quality, hay I can get is running around $300 a ton. Other places are running between $400 and $600 a ton. And that's completely normal prices. If hay prices go up here then nobody would buy it so prices stay pretty steady.
My plan is to buy hay all summer and stockpile it in the loft. I will stuff it as full as I can because I know it will be more than enough for the winter and most likely next year too. I'll probably keep buying by the bale over the winter too just to keep the supply up. I only have two cows but one of them is going to a new home (hopefully) before fall.

[BasleeBackwoodsFarm]

I just cannot comprehend paying that much for hay. Even if it is alfalfa. Makes me glad we bale our own even with the high diesel prices. WOW!!!!!!!!!

[goatsong]

Apr 18, 2011 14:26:35 GMT -5 parndt said:

I had to pay $210 a ton this year!!! It really put a damper on my profits.

I wish! The cheapest, quality, hay I can get is running around $300 a ton. Other places are running between $400 and $600 a ton. And that's completely normal prices. If hay prices go up here then nobody would buy it so prices stay pretty steady.
My plan is to buy hay all summer and stockpile it in the loft. I will stuff it as full as I can because I know it will be more than enough for the winter and most likely next year too. I'll probably keep buying by the bale over the winter too just to keep the supply up. I only have two cows but one of them is going to a new home (hopefully) before fall.

$400-$600 per ton!! Okay, I'll stop complaining now!