Save money if you buy hay (2024)

FAQs

Save money if you buy hay? ›

Buy in Bulk: A large shipment of hay is nearly always cheaper than multiple smaller ones because of transport costs. If you have the storage space, purchase all the hay you'll need for a year at one time. If you don't have the space, consider purchasing a year's worth of hay, but taking delivery in stages.

Hay is a very versatile feedstuff, for every animal from dairy cows to rabbits, and most farm animals can utilize hay in their everyday diets. Inputs, freight, land and, in some places, droughts have all driven up hay in price, so for these reasons and others, hay is an investment.

Cost savings: Overall, growing your own hay is theoretically less expensive than paying someone else. When you consider profit margin or agreements where cutters retain part of the yield, outsourcing has an extra layer of cost which you will not incur.

In general, the larger your operation, the lower your per-bale cost will be to maintain the machinery and equipment necessary to do it yourself. If yours is a smaller operation, it may be less cost effective to own and maintain the equipment to make your own bales versus working with a custom producer.

“If you are getting $125 per ton for quality hay, you are going to see a profit of $51 per ton, or $204 per acre. “The potential is there to make some pretty good money on hay.” Brown says producers could decide to grow higher-quality hay and sell into the dairy or specialty hay markets.

Standing value for this alfalfa field for the entire season could range from $400 to $700 to acre.

Once again, drought has limited forage production, which has pushed hay prices high this winter.

Increased profits from alfalfa—Top dairymen know alfalfa is their most profitable crop.

Growing and harvesting hay is an expensive activity. In many years, the hay would be worth less than the ex- ample cost of production I calculated. However, there are many hay growers who have found ways to lower the cost of hay production and add value to the hay through aggressive marketing.

What is the cheapest way to buy hay? ›

Buy in Bulk: A large shipment of hay is nearly always cheaper than multiple smaller ones because of transport costs. If you have the storage space, purchase all the hay you'll need for a year at one time. If you don't have the space, consider purchasing a year's worth of hay, but taking delivery in stages.

The average lifespan of a round bale of hay is five to six days, which isn't very long. Should you choose to cover the hay bale with a hay net that includes1. 75-inch holes, then you can extend the life of the hay. Now you'd get between eight and 10 days from one rounded bale, which is a lot more time to work with.

Large round rolls of which you can get about 5 per acre. Then you have a large rectangular bale of which you get about 40 per acre. Small rectangular bales of which you can get about 100.

The average breakeven price of hay among farms in the 2022 AHVP was $111.88/ton. Breakeven prices ranged from $82.72/ton to $160.99/ton. It is recommended that farms get accurate estimates for bale weights and price hay on a per-ton basis.

Like any pursuit, hay growing is a fruitless endeavor if no profit is turned. And growing hay is expensive, so making good money isn't a guarantee. Even though making a hay operation financially successful is no walk in the park, there are certain methods farmers can use to make sure that they don't go belly up.

On average, you can expect to produce 5 - 200 bales of hay per acre, which varies based on the type of hay bales you produce (round hay bales per acre or square hay bales per acre) and a number of other factors, explained below.

USDA data in October predicted 2023 alfalfa hay production would climb 1% from last year and grass hay would go up a meager 0.8%. This year marks the third consecutive year that hay stocks declined. September's hay price reported by USDA came in at $224 per ton, down from last year's record level of $277.

If the hay was of good-quality when harvested and stored in a dry place with sufficient airflow, hay is likely suitable for consumption for two to three years. Keep in mind that hay, even premium forage, loses much of its vitamin content in the first few months of storage.