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Feed prices in you area

5K views 27 replies 20 participants last post by  MHFoundation Quarters 
#1 ·
(Searched, didn't see anything)
Mainly hay.
And mainly directed at BOs, but all are welcome to contribute.
I'm curious what the prices of your feed have been like over the last year or so.
Increases? Decreases?
Location? (Are prices different here than in NY?).

As for me...
In in Southern California, Los Angeles County.
Hay prices for me have been unpleasant.
A little over a year ago (Around February - March), Alfalfa and the standard Mix varieties were $8 - $10 a bale.
By the end of April, they were $13 - $15 a bale.
By August, they were $17 - $19 a bale.
Now the are all close in price, $19 - $21 a bale.

So the prices for hay are now more than double what they were a little over a year ago.

Someone I met last year that does some international commerce said that the reason for the large price increase was that China was buying a lot of our hay.
I don't know if this is true and I'm not trying to start a race war or a debate or anything.
And I only met the guy once (The boss of a friend of mine, so I buy his business experience, but I have doubts about that statement)
/rant over

I'm just curious if anyone has heard why hay prices are increasing, regardless of how ridiculous it may be.
But more interested in hearing what prices are like across the the expanse of the members here.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Hay prices are typically tied to the price of fertilizer, diesel, and the weather (of course). Luckily, we haven't seen an increase in the price of hay from our grower during the last 2 years. For orchard/fescue mix we're (in NC) still paying $6/square bale (~45 lbs) and $60/round (~800 lbs).
For feed, we buy a performance mix from our local mill @$15/bag.
 
#4 ·
We started buying hay last September since we boarded our horses prior to that. The prices haven't changed since. We pay $4/sq. bale of mixed grass. We don't buy round bales since we don't have equipment to move it. We buy bulk sweet feed @ $15/80 lb. bags. We also buy 50 lb. bags of rolled pellet beet pulp @ $9. I was told buy the guy a the mill that we could expect beet pulp to go up because China is buying it up. There's a broker in CA that distributes it and is mainly selling large quantities to China.

The reason I heard hay prices went up in southern states was from the drought last year. The guy we buy hay from sent some to Texas for $12 a bale. That was what a supplier paid so they marked it up even more. Hopefully this year is better for all you in the south.
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#5 ·
My big rounds went from $40 to $50 three years ago with a big jump in gas prices. That's the price delivered, one each week. Cheaper if I get 5 or 6 at once. Oats are $14 for 50lbs at the feed store, half that from a farmer. A fellow picks up my Senior's at the feed company so I save $6 bag from feed store.
 
#7 ·
We are paying $8.00 for two strand Bermuda locally grown, and I pay $16/50lb for the Woodys finish line feed that I am currently using. Hay is hard to find, because the hay that is usually here all winter went to Texas. Weather has been good though and in a week or so I'll be picking up behind the baler and stock piling. I feed hay year round.
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#8 ·
I put up my own hay but in my area nice grass avg is $3.50/square, grass & alfalfa mix $4.50, straight alfalfa $6.

other feed - I feed Progressive and it runs me $32.50/50 lb bag.
 
#11 ·
Codemonk-Our prices have increased pretty much the way yours have.
It's weird because the bermuda is now more than the alfalfa. In the past the alfalfa has always cost more. We feed mostly bermuda. I just paid $17 for a 3 string bale of it.
The pellets and grain have only went up a couple dollars this year.
I really hope it is the drought that is causing this and that prices will back down a little.
 
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#12 · (Edited)
Codemonk-Our prices have increased pretty much the way yours have.
It's weird because the bermuda is now more than the alfalfa. In the past the alfalfa has always cost more. We feed mostly bermuda. I just paid $17 for a 3 string bale of it.
The pellets and grain have only went up a couple dollars this year.
I really hope it is the drought that is causing this and that prices will back down a little.
I hope so too.
What ever reason that caused it to go up, I hope it gets better.
I know when the price of petroleum goes up, so does everything else that makes use of it.
But everything doesn't double in price so quickly.

And I'm not sure what Bermuda Grass costs here.
Bermuda or/and Timothy, is either $32 or $26 (I remember seeing those prices on the feed store's whiteboard, but don't remember what they were prices for, only that it was the price of at least one of those).

Its a 70+ mile drive to where the growers are.
But my Dodge Dakota can only haul 10 bales, and I lack a flatbed trailer.
I do have a 1996 Ford F150, could probably haul 20 or so bales, but the front end needs to be fixed first.
Anyway, it wouldn't really be worth the drive unless I bought 50+ bales.
I don't know what the growers would charge me.
Maybe $12 - $15 a bale for 50 bales?
 
#13 ·
Due to the drought last year our round bales went from $30 for 1800 lbs to $200 for about 1200 lbs and crappy quality. My feed per bag went from $8 per 50 lb bag to $19 for the same bag. Small squares have gone from around $3/50 lb bale to around $12 for the same size or smaller. Alfalfa brought in from out of state is $16-20/50 lb bale. It's always been around $10.
 
#17 ·
I used CM's OP for this:

In in Northern Nevada (Reno).
A little over a year ago (Around February - March), Alfalfa and the standard Mix varieties were $10 - $12 a bale.
By the end of April, they were $13 - $15 a bale.
By August, they were $17 - $19 a bale.
Now they have dropped a bit, $15 - $17 a bale.

Bales in this = ~110lbs. give or take
bagged feed has gone up roughly $2-3/bag regardless of what you're getting (oat/alfalfa cubes, stable mix pellets, COB, strategy, etc.)
 
#20 ·
The drought last year hit us hard and we still haven't recovered from it, unfortunately. I'm hoping that the next cut will be better.

Hay prices for us two years ago was about $70 a round bale for ~900 pounds of timothy/alfalfa mix. This winter, we were paying a hefty $225 for a grass hay mix of 800-900 pounds depending on the provider. Alfalfa was something we couldn't even afford, as it was $250+ for a round bale if you could even find one. Even crappy cow hay couldn't be found for under $180.

Its slightly better now and we're back to our timothy/alfalfa mix, but eat bale is about $220 still. We're hooking up with another local farm though and getting some imported from Alabama- 30 round bales of about 900 pounds each at $205 each ._. that'll probably last us two months if we're lucky.

As for feed, we dont have a specific brand that we buy in bulk because we have a variety of horse body types, but we're averaging about $15 per 50 lb bag right now, i think.
 
#21 ·
A LOT of the price of hay has to do with these stupid, high gas prices. YOU know how it is--anybody who lives west of the Mississippi realizes the long distances between towns, and every mile hauling is pricey. Think about this on November 6th.
 
#22 ·
$100.00 for a 1400lbs bale delivered. We buy semi loads and have them delivered about 500 miles. So it's $3400.00 a load. If we pick them up it's $40 a round. But once you factor in fuel to go pick up a load it's easier to get them delivered.
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#23 ·
Wow I can't say anything about US prices but ouch I can't imagen paying that much. I only pay $2 a bale of grass hay out of field $3 out of the barn. $4 when I have to buy from a feed store. I buy 200 bales out of field so rarely do I need to buy else where, unless my hay gets ruined some how (like this year the roof leaked on it). $20 for pelleted or basic mash feed (maintenance feed). Large round bales go for $35 to $40 for something between 4 to 5 foot ones and depending on wrapped, or cores.
 
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