Can't sell hay to save my life

Zachary Hoyt · Jun 21, 2014

This is the 8th year we have been selling hay out of the field, usually I put an ad on Craigslist and get a few responses, some repeat customers and some new ones. This year I have two repeat customers who contacted me in early June and who will be up tomorrow, one to buy 40 bales and one for 70, though he says he wants 500 but not all at once. I baled 430 today with my old New Holland 68 and Farmall 300 and have another 300 bales or so to bale tomorrow. I brought in 140 bales with the Farmall A and the hay wagon tonight and it looks like I will be busy tomorrow and maybe Monday if the weather holds. Usually I don't get a window of good weather till July, so maybe the people who buy hay aren't ready yet, and the other thing is this year we raised the price out of the field from $2 to $2.25. This year the machinery is running well and I have no customers, last year I had breakdowns left and right and customers waiting for me to call and tell them their hay was ready. Oh well, I guess that's life.
Zach

Steve Sobieski · Jun 21, 2014

Not sure what area you're in but here in se wi,90% of the hay is still out their and 4 - 4.50 has been the price out of the fields around here on average

Wheatfarmer · Jun 21, 2014

Grass hay here in Mid Colo mountains will be around $10 for small Sq. People are never ready when the hay is ready. I always like getting it once the stackwagon starts. Saves everyone a lot of work.

Dave H (MI) · Jun 21, 2014

I sell mine off the field for around $4. Looks a little thin this year but I am expecting 500 bales from the small field. Entire field is sold already. Been that way for several years. Only problem is that I cannot get it cut. Decided to branch out into corn this year and spent the only two good clear windows planting. Then the weather tanked on me again and now I am just sitting and waiting.

VicS · Jun 21, 2014

Know what you mean. Baled 300 small bales of alfalfa. Want 6 for a few or 5 for 200 or so. Lots of lookers and buying a few. Wanted to sell out before the second cutting. Just a week away! It is RR so no weeds or grass. SE Il. 6 one eight 5 nine nine, 8 zero four one. Vic

Alan K · Jun 22, 2014

Nice looking bale equipment. We used to have a 1010 NH balewagon

Jim Phelps · Jun 22, 2014

Good clean horse hay around here sells good. But most cattle men want round bales, I usually get plenty of takers for round bales once winter sets in.

Northvale - PA · Jun 22, 2014

most people deal with their hay needs like they deal with other things in life, they wait to the last minute. Since the very day I started baling hay (30 years, all small squares) we immediately stack it away and never try to sell out of the field. Price is higher in the fall anyway. Some other reasons are, they don"t have enough storage, have to much "junk" in their barns where the storage was, don"t have the bigger cash on hand, don"t want hay months before they need it, etc. I have regular customers going for years. The thing I sell with my hay is convenience. It hooks them.

Dieselrider · Jun 22, 2014

When I have extra hay to sell, it would be late winter, early spring when most folks are ruunning low. I think I get a better price then. That being said, we put all ours under roof.

NEKS · Jun 22, 2014

I always heard the two fastest ways to go broke is if you have to buy your hay to feed or trying to make a living selling hay.

Jason S. · Jun 22, 2014

I remember last year I sat on hay until sept. I couldn"t give it away. I was literally going to donate it to a horse rescue place...but you get a tax write off for that. Then early in sept I had three people stop in one day at the farm and I got wiped out of squares and rounds and wanted more. I ended up baling into October to get more. This year people are already asking and buying hay. It"s very very dry here so there isn"t a lot of hay out there right now. Some say the price of hay will go thru the roof here and others say it will get cheaper because people will sell the cows off. I have went up on prices this year. 5x5 rounds are $25.00 delivered and squares are $1.50 picked up out of the field.

Mike(NEOhio) · Jun 22, 2014

There are a lot of horse people in my area and a lot of small producers. I get $4.50 at the barn and put up 1000-2000 a year and never sell out of the field. Some goes out during the winter months but come April-June I put a C-L ad and get cleaned out. Lots of commercial horse farms but I don't want to get involved with contracts. Plenty of people with 2-3 stall barns that can't store enough for the year and the big producers are all out come spring. I'll add that it's a sideline and not my primary source of income, and I'm using older equipment and do my own repairs.
"New Paint Syndrome" can kill you.

showcrop · Jun 22, 2014

I sell it all out of the field. I believe that the big thing is to have a list of names and numbers. I always have at least two customers coming to pick up, maybe as many as five. As soon as I mow I call to advise them where and when to show up Those who fail to show or are too slow to pay get dropped off the list. Don't wait for them to call you.

redforlife · Jun 23, 2014

if you got storage, small squares always see better interests and better prices in the winter. Right ahead of a snow storm is ideal. If no storage or you don't want to work that hard, big rounds are a better way to go. Just not going to see as many dollars out of your hay.

W_B · Jun 24, 2014

We have a standing order for what ever our guy can stuff in to the hay mow, usually 1,000 to 1,300 bales. We basically take all his second and third cutting and some first when he can spare it (his wife has horses and they board some). He brings it right out of the field in bale baskets and his guys put it up for us using my elevator. Has been charging $5 a bale. If I'm lucky he comes during the week so I don't even have to touch it. In one bad year we had to chase down some other sources, was able to find about 600 bales, some locally and a friend had a guy that had plenty in Eastern Ohio and we hauled a load in our stock trailer and he loaded his up too and brought it over. That's a lot of work if you aren't used to it anymore.

JRSutton · Jun 24, 2014

Not to make you feel worse, but here in Massachusetts, we sell square bales $5.00 for first cutting, $6.00 for second.

What doesn't get sold off the field generally goes at the end of winter once everybody runs out.

In fact, I think if those prices were raised by $1.00 - it'd still sell.

Last winter, since we were all sold out - I had to BUY hay for our horses from somebody bringing it in by the trailer load from new York - $7.50 a bale!

That didn't feel too good.

Bret4207 · Jun 25, 2014

(quoted from post at 15:29:49 06/24/14) Not to make you feel worse, but here in Massachusetts, we sell square bales $5.00 for first cutting, $6.00 for second.

What doesn't get sold off the field generally goes at the end of winter once everybody runs out.

In fact, I think if those prices were raised by $1.00 - it'd still sell.

Last winter, since we were all sold out - I had to BUY hay for our horses from somebody bringing it in by the trailer load from new York - $7.50 a bale!

That didn't feel too good.

HAR! Sounds familiar. Around me we have a lot of low, heavy land that grows canary grass. It ends up about 6 foot tall by the time it's dry enough to cut. All the farmers call it "bedding" when they bale it. Funny thing is how that "bedding" magically changes into "horse hay" around the 15th of January...... :lol:

Can't sell hay to save my life

Zachary Hoyt

Well-known Member

Steve Sobieski

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Wheatfarmer

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Dave H (MI)

Well-known Member

VicS

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Alan K

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Jim Phelps

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Northvale - PA

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Dieselrider

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NEKS

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Jason S.

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Mike(NEOhio)

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showcrop

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redforlife

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W_B

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JRSutton

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Bret4207

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