Hay shortage: what are you going to do?

[Marilyn]

Despite my best efforts at trying to pretend there is not going to be a hay shortage this year, in short, there is. I am planning to buy enough (hopefully) asap to guard against silly prices later in the year. I'm also thinking of stocking up on my alfa, hifi, chaff and sugar beet as another way to supply fibre...wot are you lot going to do?

 

[lizzie_liz]

well our yard has loads of hay so our horses won't be going hungry, all the barns are packed full of hay and straw!

 

[AmyMay]

No hay shortage here - so no worries. All ours is bagged, tagged and ready for winter

 

[Governor]

I wasn't aware there was a shortage.

Were buying in big (circular) bales this year. Should we find we're short I expect the horses will stay out for as long as possible everyday. Part of the hay ration could be replaced with a high fibre source as you suggested.

 

[Marilyn]

When I went to get some hay at the weekend (because mine are eating hay already) the farmer was explaining that because there has been no real rain they haven't been able to do a second cut and people are already having to feed their sheep and cattle hay thus reducing supplies for horses this winter. I was also told that there's going to be a shortage of shaving but I'm not too worried about this!

 

[AmyMay]

What part of the country are you in??

 

[Marilyn]

Worcestershire

 

[AmyMay]

You may have to pop over the boarder then to good old South Wales. There's no shortage here that I aware of.

Good luck with your search.

 

[JM7]

no shortage in these parts....have plenty in.....

 

[BBs]

Hay shortage???? not in my neck of the woods........

 

[S_N]

Hmmmm I think I'm gonna stay in Cornwall!! We have LOADS of hay and haylage at the farm!! But then the grass never stopped growing here and it's still green.............

 

[Marilyn]

It's still green!! We haven't had green grass for a while now!

 

[Eliza120280]

I'm in Yorkshire and there is talk of a hay shortage here too - apart from the last week or so we have had no rain hardly at all so no one has got a second cut of hay. Although the rain has come now and everything is very green - its not sunny enough to dry a second cut yet - maybe if we get another heatwave?! At our yard though we are ok - have a lot of haylage from last year which should be ok and a massive first cut of hay!

 

[LEC]

On our farm we did not have as much as normal but have enough. We have not done 2nd cut this year which is unusual. We keep hoping for rain! I have heard that Straw will be going up a lot this year though as people just are not growing that much. Do not know if this will happen or just farmers getting excited!

 

[spaniel]

Sounds like farmer is trying to flog you a big order now so he can keep his barns free!

Every year this happens...someone somewhere starts to panic and the whole thing gets out of hand. Its happened with hay, bedding, sugarbeet and heaven knows what else.

If you have the room and the money to buy in one go then fine but doing it as a panic buy is a bit over the top.

Tons of everything down here and it does travel so I wouldnt worry!

 

[fizz-tally]

move to scotland,we have tons lol.

 

[henryhorn]

We certainly have a hay stortage here, and I have sadly had to write to all my livery owners and put their charges up to cover buying in some of the extra hay. We normally make around 250 big bales, this year we got far less than that but the fertiliser cost more than usual as did the contractor charges as petrol prices have gone up, so therfore so have the plastic for bale wrapping and their trnsport costs.
I enquired last week about buying in some small bale hay for feeding now, and they quoted £2.75 a bale...As you can buy hay most years off the fields round here for £1 that should warn everyone things will be expensive.
We don't have a choice in feeding more hard feed etc , as you really cant feed in a herd situation safely. so will just have to buy in extra bales, at least 50 at £20 a bale I reckon. So a further £1000 to find for feeding.
if I were a horse owner with storage facilites I would be buying now (it's going to go up in price as the winter comes), even if you end up selling it for a healthy profit..

 

[eekmon]

I have heard theres gonna be a pea shortage

but not hay

And no, I don't know why peas are going to be in shortage

 

[CSYMolly]

Yard makes their own hay and they have loads of it, we pay £4 a bale as it is so they had better not put it up!

 

[BBs]

[ QUOTE ]
I have heard theres gonna be a pea shortage

but not hay

And no, I don't know why peas are going to be in shortage

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank god for that I hate PEAs

 

[piaffe]

We have a hay shortage here. Not just this year's hay either. We have awful trouble getting any hay for our horses now. I have none now so my horses are out 24/7 and don't know what to do when we want a haynet to use in the trailer.

We have managed to get 50 bales for the winter so far, but the prices have gone up and do not know where else to get some.

I certainly do not want to start feeding haylage but i might just have to.

 

[eekmon]

He he

 

[dieseldog]

We've got loads of hay and haylage. Normally pay £4/bale small haylage, £20 Big Haylage, £3 small Hay and £1 straw.

We've made our own Haylage and Hay, but might have to buy some in as didn't use the big fields this year.

 

[spaniel]

How strange that this seems so regional, after all you are not that far from me and JM.
I could understand it being expensive ( costs have gone up hugely this year) to make but to hear that there is very little of it about is very strange as we are not seeing shortage here at all.

Perhaps all that car washing I get pilloried for has done the trick after all!

 

[the watcher]

[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like farmer is trying to flog you a big order now so he can keep his barns free!

Every year this happens...someone somewhere starts to panic and the whole thing gets out of hand. Its happened with hay, bedding, sugarbeet and heaven knows what else.

If you have the room and the money to buy in one go then fine but doing it as a panic buy is a bit over the top.

Tons of everything down here and it does travel so I wouldnt worry!

[/ QUOTE ]

it does travel, I have bought Hay imported from Germany in previous years when our own crop has been short. Don't underestimate the shortage this year though, weather has meant that grass has not grown on so well in many areas and this will impact on price. Farmers are also being positively encouraged to grow for biofuels so you can expect to see more rape and similar crops which do not generate a secondary straw crop, so eventually bedding will become more expensive. All this is longer term into the future and only relevant if you are mulling over the viability of rubber matting now.

 

[riotgirl]

The farmers around here have all said that there will be a shortage as the winter draws on. I am lucky enough to be able to store my hay at home so have bought in extra just incase. Mind you, it is now taking over the place because as well as it being in our hay store we also have it in the shed, the greenhouse, and under the carport. Parents not to chuffed

 

[riotgirl]

The farmers around here have all said that there will be a shortage as the winter draws on. I am lucky enough to be able to store my hay at home so have bought in extra just incase. Mind you, it is now taking over the place because as well as it being in our hay store we also have it in the shed, the greenhouse, and under the carport. Parents not to chuffed

 

[barkinghorse]

Well, to be fair i thought it was just our YO!
Every year we are told there will be a shortage just she can charge a higher price.
At the moment we pay 4.50 per bale so i hope not!!
Jo xx

 

[miss_bird]

I am having the same problem, hay prices are going up already, a couple of my supplier have phone to tell me there was no second cut of hay this year so they will have to put their prices up a bit. OH will have a heartattack.

 

[parsley]

There doesn't seem to be a shortage here - I've ordered 24 big round bales of haylage.