Eeek hay prices

alsxx

alsxx

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Just called local farmer about getting another bale of hay delivered as I only have half a heston bale left and with the snow still completely covering the field feel I'm going to finish it off pretty quick....he said he's going to have to get more in himself at £70 a bale to him.....eeek

I'm quite mean on feeding hay as it is; the two ponies who live out dont really need any as there is so much grass in the field, and although my TB has ad lib at night a bale lasts me about 5 weeks, probably longer....in the last week since its snowed I have gone through an entire bale :(

I guess I'm not surprised to hear this given hay shortage and bad weather, but what to do - they don't have anything else to eat in the field at the moment as its all covered in frozen snow (which is gutting as it has been rested March to Nov so there was so much grass it was silly!) so feel obliged to leave them with plenty but if it goes up to min £70, per week......well :eek:

Anyone else in Kent hearing this??
 
ive just bought a few small bales to go in field (i buy haylage for stables) thought it would be cheaper than chucking haylage out.
WRONG! £6.50 a bale. I pay £6.50 for haylage! I nearly died. Lovely hay though:D
 
smiffyimp said:
ive just bought a few small bales to go in field (i buy haylage for stables) thought it would be cheaper than chucking haylage out.
WRONG! £6.50 a bale. I pay £6.50 for haylage! I nearly died. Lovely hay though:D
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:eek: I can't believe the crazy prices people are being quoted for hay!!

I buy large bale haylage - 220 kgs @ £34 - top quality and nutritionally analysed. That's the same price I was paying last year as well :)
 
Farmers round here were very cagey about prices back in the Summer, but now I have them asking *me* if I need any!!

I have paid £4 a bale for small bales, or I could get big bales for £40....
 
Puppy said:
:eek: I can't believe the crazy prices people are being quoted for hay!!

I buy large bale haylage - 220 kgs @ £34 - top quality and nutritionally analysed. That's the same price I was paying last year as well :)
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That's a good price, Puppy, whereabouts are you?
 
Currently I pay £45 for a big bale of hay; it was £40 in the Spring. But £70 trade price.....

I do wonder how much of it is talk to push the prices up, is that very cynical of me?
 
alsxx said:
Currently I pay £45 for a big bale of hay; it was £40 in the Spring. But £70 trade price.....

I do wonder how much of it is talk to push the prices up, is that very cynical of me?
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Hmm, partly, I do know of some farmers who have been hanging on to hay until the prices go up even higher, but my haylage supplier, who usually makes around 5000 large bales, only made 3000 this year.

With careful management and weather permitting I reckon I have enough haylage until the end of Feb but gawd knows what we'll do then. Bankruptcy beckons (or barbecued horse!!).
 
Yep, although field is (was?) full of grass, I had intended to have it cut for hay and there was just not enough for that so do believe him when he says he was short in the first place.

Gah...prostitution maybe?
 
I'm very lucky. I pay £33 (including delivery and stacking) for a large round bale. It's great hay too. So very pleased - at the moment - but every winter it is a worry isn't it. After all, you can't tell them to do without!
 
i would buy what i could and stock it now, if the winter continues in this way, the agri aniamals will eat loads putting up the price, it could become very difficult and in short supply by feb and not leave much for the summer months til the next cut, so buy in what you need at least to cover winter
 
tristar said:
i would buy what i could and stock it now, if the winter continues in this way, the agri aniamals will eat loads putting up the price, it could become very difficult and in short supply by feb and not leave much for the summer months til the next cut, so buy in what you need at least to cover winter
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Totally agree, but I'm limited to storage - I have to keep it outside on pallets under a tarp so don't really have the space for more than a couple at a time, plus as hard as I try to keep the air circulating, keeping it under a tarp it does get moist if kept under there too long and I don't want to run the risk of having a load of £45 bales and them getting ruined. Bit stuck really!
 
I pay £32 per bale delivered for big bale haylage (top quality made on a local farm) and buy six bales at a time. Another local farm sells me top quality small bale hay for £3 per bale collected. This is the same price as last year but we have no shortage here. Straw is another thing altogether tho and is the same price as the haylage delivered. !
 
Puppy said:
:eek: I can't believe the crazy prices people are being quoted for hay!!

I buy large bale haylage - 220 kgs @ £34 - top quality and nutritionally analysed. That's the same price I was paying last year as well :)
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Ditto, I pay 30 euro a round bale for top quality hay. there's no way I could afford to have horses if i had to pay £70 a bale, thats nearly 90 euro, omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I've started buying in hay now, as I've run out of my own, cleared the neighbours barn out at £2.50 per small bale, bought a couple round bales of dubious quality at £35 each; next delivery I'm having from Warwickshire in midi hestons at £140 per tonne top quality Ryegrass and £110 a tonne for meadow - I do need to buy a lorry+drag, though, which will be 12t.
 
Friend of mine sells hay/haylage off her farm - she's selling small bales hay for £4, big bales for £40 (which she's had to buy in as they didn't make enough last summer). She's in Herefordshire.

I'm paying £3.50 small bale hay (collected) or £30 for big bale haylage (delivered). Straw is £2.50 (collected)

(Glos)
 
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