Hay Shortage This Winter

i agree henryhorn , the farmer i just brought my load off sayed if i didnt buy it know , come winter, prices are going to inflate , he would have to put his up also so im lucky ive just brought my load plus extra to sell on if anyone needs it
 
henryhorn said:
I'm sorry Mike007 but you're wrong.
I have rung over 15 suppliers including local farmers and been quoted a huge variety of prices.
These range from £45 to £75 for a large square bale haylage, £4 to £6 for normal small hay bales and the biggest problem is not price, it's that there just isn't any about. No-one could offer me large round bales.
We make around 30 acres every year, fertilising with calcified seaweed and nitrogen, and our yeild has been down 40%. Every single farmer I have talked with is in the samer position, and all are trying (like us) for a second cut. If we get one it will be mid September weather permitting, and even then it's not going to be enough looking at the density of the fields.
Many people are planning on grazing their fields longer into winter, and we will likely do that too on the remaining 80 acres.
I have just bought 100 small bales of haylage as emergency supplies but this year won't be able to include free haylage in my DIY livery package.
My advice if you have horses is buy what you can now, as farmers aren't daft, those prices will stay inflated shortage or not and if they don't get a second crop, they realy will go through the roof!
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Just because there is a shortage of hay in Devon doesnt mean there is an overall shortage. Its just a question of getting the stuff moved about and being prepared to pay a realistic price.Incidentaly I am not surprised that you couldnt find anyone offering round bales. Round bales cost more per tonne to haul and if hay is being moved any distance the merchant will choose Heestons every time.
 
i keep hearing this... can someone please explain to me why there is a so called shortage?

cos i asked my supplier, and he laughed and said they have more and better hay than the last few years:confused:
 
NeverSayNever said:
i keep hearing this... can someone please explain to me why there is a so called shortage?

cos i asked my supplier, and he laughed and said they have more and better hay than the last few years:confused:
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In certain areas of UK (arguably the ones that produce the majority of hay/haylage crop normally) the combination of harsh, long winter and dry, cool spring caused shortage of grass.
The weather conditions were great for hay making, but there wasn't much to cut.
The reserves of last years crop have been used up due to harsh winter, this years crop is poor and there still isn't much growth in the grass, which means that we are making inroads into this years hay to feed livestock/horses in the fields.
 
We grow hay for our personal use and if we have any surplus bales, we sell to friends. This year our yield is down by 40%, therefore, there is no surplus! We are in East Anglia and the reduced yield is not just us - it's affected all those in this region who grow hay.
 
My regular supplier has increased his prices from £5 a small bale last year to £8 now and more increases likely and large bale haylage from £27.50 last year to £45 this year. He has completely run out of last years hay and all but sold the recent crop to people who are storing it for use from October.

The local feed merchant is limiting people to 15 bales per person and they are £6 for something so light you could get rid of a bale overnight for one horse.
 
I don't see how anyone can say that there is a shortage yet. Round here, people cut hay in June and the managed fields are well on their way to a second cut. If they leave it, say, another month, it'll only be mid-September and in 2007 (the summer that never was) that was when a lot of people cut for the FIRST (and only) time and there wasn't a 'shortage' then . . . . . . .

Edited to say that the chap I buy from was most apologetic when he told me that his large bales had gone up £3 from last year (and that includes delivery) . . . fair enough, thought I . . . . then he delivered some . . . . the bales are GINORMOUS - something like 30% bigger so, in reality, are cheaper than last year!! Whoopeeee!!!!!
 
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Faithkat, very simply, the ground that we would normally leave to take second cut of, we had to turn livestock on.
The farmers that just grow and don't graze livestock might be able to take second cut of their fields, but many won't have that luxury.
 
Our hay cost a lot more per bale to make this year as we pay a price per acre for cutting and turning and a price per bale for baling, stacking and putting it in the barn. So we paid more (inlfation increase) to make 350 bales whereas last year we made 1000. Ours cost just over £3 to get it made and put in the barn. The grass on the hayfields has hardly grown at all, definately no second cut there.
 
Well, we've finally had lots of rain, and more to come, so yay!! I may be able to get a second cut :)

I'd just made them a small paddock on the winter field as my half acre paddock has been eaten down now..........watch that grass shoot up!!
 
I had 11 acres cut from the land that our sheep graze we would normally expect 1000 small bales but got 330 hopefully this will be enough for my ponies and the sheep will be eating old baled haylage.I recently saw an ad in our local paper for round bale hay at £60 speaking to some friend later they had also seen it and rang to see if it was correct and it had all been sold ! Lets hope for a mild winter and early spring
 
Wow now glad im in the south west!
We are in Devon, we have so much grass we dont know what to do, I have 6 horses which live on 10 acres, this year we have had to section it down to 4 acres as they are getting too fat, even on the 4 acres the grass is coming up thick and fast and we are having to muzzle and day rest them from the grass to prevent Lami.
I spoke to a farmer friend who said he is doing his second cut of haylage and 3rd cut silage in 2 weeks, haylage down here cost £15 for a big round bale that fits into a haylage manger, it used to be £12 last year so has gone up.
Really feel for you all up country, winter sounds not only scary with the thought of no fodder but also cost crippling.
There is alot to be said for dairy grass, apart from the Lami threat.
 
I live in South Bucks and we have absolutely no grass whatsoever in our fields. When I poo pick the field all you can hear is crunch crunch crunch as you walk across a beige mat of crispiness.

I bought two enormous bales of hay from my local farmer a month or so ago for £50 each. And I really do mean enormous - they must be 3ft x 3ft x 8ft if not more. However, he was seriously upset by the current situation. He said that it was not so much the lack of hay being taken off the fields but the fact that all livestock owners (horses, cows, sheep, goats etc) are having to start feeding NOW. That is what is going to lead to the possible winter shortage.

Bit of rain though recently so hopefully a bit of grass might start coming through.

Fi
 
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