Translationsneeded
Well-Known Member
Heard some rumours but no one has actually experienced a shortage round here! Round bales £25-£5 less than last year
Any yards already restricting hay due to shortages this year?
- Thread starter Morgan123
- Start date
Dubsie
Well-Known Member
At home our baler broke, so no hay made (half the crop was very poor as on dry gravel based fields anyway). Yard has a plentiful supply as managed to get the hay harvest just right (last year's was poor, so supplemented from home)
SatansLittleHelper
Well-Known Member
Our farmer struggled with hay towards the end of last winter so we ended up on haylage. This year we only have haylage but there is plenty. It's now £40 For a huge bale which is a fiver up on last year. But it's been that price for a few years so I don't mind the increase do much.
fidleyspromise
Well-Known Member
Prices here (North Scotland near Inverness) have varied from £25-£40.
I know a couple of people who have been trying to get hold of hay/haylage big bales for a couple of months and cannot find any.
I phoned around a few before managing to secure mine at the end of July.
I know a couple of people who have been trying to get hold of hay/haylage big bales for a couple of months and cannot find any.
I phoned around a few before managing to secure mine at the end of July.
minesadouble
Well-Known Member
How
Can you tell me where you are and how much you are paying please?
(Assuming it is good quality)
Can you tell me where you are and how much you are paying please?
(Assuming it is good quality)
Bob notacob
Well-Known Member
its just profiteering.There is no shortage of horse hay . because of the best haymaking weather in 40 years all hay is horse hay . Farmers are trying to exploit the horse hay market .It will be interesting when the hay auctions start round here (S E England) I think a lot of farmers illusions will be shattered.
minesadouble
Well-Known Member
Just check out the market reports from Gooestry crop sales - hay averaging £190 - £200 per tonne! No illusions shattered yet!! And it’s not even Christmas!
Morgan123
Well-Known Member
Yeh I agree minesadouble - I believe the farming industry has been hit by it, so it's not profiteering. A farmer I was chatting to the other day (again NW) says he knows small farmers who've had to sell up already because of using thier winter forage in summer to keep up the milk yield, and now being stuck.
It's interesting that the equine industry hasn't had too much of a hit though - possibly they already charge higher prices to horse people than for farms, where profit margins are an issue?
It's interesting that the equine industry hasn't had too much of a hit though - possibly they already charge higher prices to horse people than for farms, where profit margins are an issue?
honetpot
Well-Known Member
I think farmers have been hit but for some it would make more sense to sell their hay and feed straw to young cows and heifers, for dairy farmers its a bit different.
It will all depend on the weather in the next three months. I have still got some out 24/7 and too fat. I have also discovered cows are more picky eaters than ponies, the stuff they leave the ponies hoover up.
It will all depend on the weather in the next three months. I have still got some out 24/7 and too fat. I have also discovered cows are more picky eaters than ponies, the stuff they leave the ponies hoover up.
MotherOfChickens
MotherDucker
of course down in your little corner of the UK the harvets might have been great. and it was good hay weather except in some places farmers couldnt get fertilizer on the fields early enough because it was too wet so the yield was down (as was straw-density was ok but length was 6 inches shorter). Instead of 12-14 bales an acre, they were getting 7. because the grass was low in the summer farmers were feeding forage, because bedding is in short supply-cattle were out longer this year being fed hay .some parts of the rest of the UK had a bad winter too so no stocks of hay from the year before -which was an appalling harvest anyway round these parts-with some crops just being ploughed in.
those farmers who only 'farm' hay did ok, but those keeping stock (like all of those locally, it not being an arable area) did not. farming is not equal everywhere.
Bob notacob
Well-Known Member
Horse hay fetches a premium over the rest of the market but in terms of tonnage is only a small part of the market. Whilst overall there is less forage available there is a far greater proportion of quality horse hay than normal. Hence I dont believe the high hay prices are likely to be sustainable .
AnShanDan
Well-Known Member
Fodder in general and hay in particular are def. in short supply in central scotland.
The very late, cold spring was followed by a dry early summer which significantly reduced yields. Yes, beautiful, green hay was made in June/July but it wasn't as much as a normal year.
The only saving grace is that after a reasonable autumn the grazing is still giving horses a fair bit to eat, so they aren't coming in looking for hay yet.
The very late, cold spring was followed by a dry early summer which significantly reduced yields. Yes, beautiful, green hay was made in June/July but it wasn't as much as a normal year.
The only saving grace is that after a reasonable autumn the grazing is still giving horses a fair bit to eat, so they aren't coming in looking for hay yet.
southerncomfort
Well-Known Member
None of the farmers around here took a second cut of hay. Worried about the prospect of another harsh winter, they all cut for silage for their livestock instead.
jules9203
Well-Known Member
Lots of the farmers round here didn't do a 2nd cut. The first cut is really good quality but don't know how long the supply will last. Re the comments about farmers taking advantage re equine hay - a local farmer to me doesn't normally do straw, but realised that farmers in the south west were short of grass, they sold large bale straw to the south west at £80 per bale...........
southerncomfort
Well-Known Member
All the straw round here gets sold straight to the local biomass plant. 
spugs
Well-Known Member
The yard I was buying hay from has stopped selling to outsiders due to not having enough, I’ve found a new supplier but they think they’ll run out in a month or so and two of the other big suppliers have all there’s spoken for. I’m in the North East.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Forage Is definatly short in the northeast .
meleeka
Well-Known Member
That’s odd because I’m on the South Coast and I don’t think it was the best haymaking weather in 40’years. It was very wet in the spring and as soon as the grass grew we had such warm temperatures with very little rain that my fields struggled to grow at all. I had much less grass this summer than usual and consequently I had to feed more hay.
Equi
Well-Known Member
My last yard made their own but were very strict two nets a day (hard standing turnout) 5kg - 50p, 10kg £1. My horse was very hungry (got pushed off his net in the AM most days and got his PM net about 5) and i probably gave him about 15+kg a day. My new yard is breakfast, lunch, dinner, grass turnout also. If there is some left, thats ok, they still get their new net. I have started making my nets smaller which is bizarre cause im using to making them as large as i possibley can - i have had to buy new nets cause my big ones are TOO big! Point of the story is that the more often they get fed the less they seem to eat.
Bob notacob
Well-Known Member
I never said it was the best grass growing year I said it was the best haymaking year ,and that is entirely a different matter. Livestock farmers would be hard pushed to pay horse hay prices in any year .The shortage of Barley straw is the problem The price of barley straw would have to double at least before the price made any inroad into the horse hay supply.
Sussexbythesea
Well-Known Member
I’m also on the South coast and all our yards horses were out all summer from May until end of October and plenty of grass. I’m still feeding very little hay and our hay barn mostly for the farm stock not us is overflowing. I thought the first cut would have been really good as wet spring and then lovely hay harvesting weather but second cut not so much. Often we’ve had a dry spring so nothing much grows then a wet summer and getting it cut is a problem.
hopscotch bandit
Well-Known Member
My regular supplier doesn't seem to be worrying about running out, he's charging £40 per bale - his went up from £35 last August I think in anticipation for the 'panic' buying. Its lovely hay and last me with one horse around 21-25 days without feeding in the field as the grass is still plentiful in my paddock due to me strip grazing a substantial long paddock all year round. Another supplier who used to supply to me but supplies to other liveries charges around the £40 mark per round bale and says he has plenty to see winter through so I think we are okay in the 'Wet' Midlands/Warwickshire. Its £5 per small bale from one local feed merchant and £4.50 per small bale from another again no mention of running out. Do admit feed prices have gone up through the roof though. I'm on assisted DIY but I've not heard that our livery charges are going up due to the predicted shortfall in hay/straw.
ApolloStorm
Well-Known Member
No restrictions as such, but they're asking us to be more careful with usage, if they're not finishing the net give them less etc. I don't mind as mine is getting a big shires net overnight and is eating it. Plus they're out on excellent grazing from 8-6.
chocolategirl
Well-Known Member
Not sure where you get your facts from? We make our own hay as we run a livery yard, and this year we had to fertilise very heavily when it became apparent that due to lack of rainfall, we would not get the yield we would normally. In spite of this extra cost to ourselves, (fertiliser isn’t cheap!), we did not increase the cost to our clients. We did end up with a decent crop, but it came at a cost we have chosen to absorb. The only difference it made to us other than that, is that we won’t sell any off the yard like we have before. It’s extremely difficult to make good hay in this country at the best of times, and I think before you make claims like profiteering, maybe you should try making it yourself? Or maybe you already do, and are one of those rare and lucky individuals who never has issues with weather?
Bob notacob
Well-Known Member
I havebeen dealing in hay and straw and also making it for the best part of 50 years. To be honest , Throwing fertiliser at a drought stressed crop was crazy in my opinion . You stood a high risk of making the stuff inedible because of the nitrate level .
Toby_Zaphod
Well-Known Member
My hay suppier has warned of national shortage. He normally gets 2 or 3 cuts each year. This year he got only 1 cut. Additionally he went to a hay sale a week ago & 6 string bales were being bought by bulk buyers & they were paying £80 each. You express a nice sentiment but you are definitely misguided.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
How can any one say all hay is horse hay it’s simply not true .
minesadouble
Well-Known Member
We cut over 1000 acres of grass, all for the equine market, it’s not even open to debate whether crops were light - it’s a fact. This combined with lack of second cuts (we did get some second cut but nowhere near as much as usual) and no carry over from last winter means it’s inevitable that there is not going to be a surplus over this Winter.
What we have is excellent quality but the sheds are not as full as previous years. I’m afraid it does annoy me when people use the word ’profiteering’ - it’s not profiteering at all, it’s market value and supply and demand.
What we have is excellent quality but the sheds are not as full as previous years. I’m afraid it does annoy me when people use the word ’profiteering’ - it’s not profiteering at all, it’s market value and supply and demand.
The Trooper
Well-Known Member
At our yard they grow and harvest their own hay, this years harvest was smaller than usual due to the irregular weather and only getting for example 1 crop off a field that would normally provide 2. We have all been asked by the YO just to be careful with how much we are using and to limit waste (Which is fair enough regardless of the hay situation).
There is talk of possibly having to buy some in towards the end of winter, i hope it doesn't come to that though..
There is talk of possibly having to buy some in towards the end of winter, i hope it doesn't come to that though..
jj_87
Well-Known Member
The yard that I am on has empty stables but are not having any more liveries over the winter as we don't have any spare for any more horses, I have an emergency supply if I need to supplement the amount/ quality