How much for hay?

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kate081

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How much are you paying for this years hay?

Last year prices got up to £5 a bale in my area (Bucks/Northants). I've driven past one farm recently selling it for £5.50 a bale but today a local farmer said he thought it would go down to £3?!

So what is everyone paying?

Thanks
 
Last year £2.50 per bale, this year £2 per bale.

Very lucky as buy it off a 'hobby farmer' who is not in it to make a profit, but just to cover his costs.
 
£7.50 a bale around here :eek: - we've started to make our own by hand!!

According to our supplier he is getting calls from as far away as the South of France to deliver hay due to shortages there!!
 
I've just bought a few bales of beautiful hay for £3 per bale - South Cumbria. Although that's cheap - it's generally around £3.50 per bale. There is even cheaper stuff about at £2.50 per bale, but I'm not convinced by the quality of it.....
 
Our YO does big (1/2ton bales) for £35 which works out so much cheaper than the little bales, it's just finding a place to keep them!
 
£3.75 usually pay £2.50 from same farm but half the crop was not made due to rain

Seen hay from Shropshire on sale in Cumbria for £5.50 a bale
 
£4.25/bale from the farm, and is good quality but all this years hay. My friend has just bought 100 bales for £3/bale - I can't justify buying it all in one hit so stick with the higher priced stuff from the farm :D
 
My prices are irrelevant as it is $, but thanks to a horrid spring, a drought and much of the first cut absolutely decimated by Army Worms in our district, hay prices are going through the roof.

My supplier was one of those who lost his crop to the worms, which meant that the two cuts I reserve annually from him was effectively halved overnight.

I get paid in $, I pay out in $ so ignore the conversion rate.

Hay is averaging at 15 cents a lb at auction suppliers are understandably adding their whack.

Last year :

Small bales were $3.50 are now $8 +
Round bales were $35 and are now $120
Large squares now $190

Local beef operators are trucking hay from out West and up from the US.

Horse prices have plumetted accordingly, people are taking pennies for them, the meatmen are rubbing their hands. You literally cannot give horses away at the moment.

I am seriously looking into alternative feedstuff for my lot, after all, for some countries little or no hay is the norm, they manage it, so it isn't the end of the world.
 
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The hay man I brought from said he was getting a really good crop, so I'd urge anyone in the South East to shop about a bit before buying. It also helps if you can collect your own. Sometimes a bit of teamwork at a yard can really help. At a yard where I used to be we were able to get a great deal on hay for a couple of years by taking my OH's Toyota van to the farm and doing a few trips in that every month or so.
 
£4 a bale, delivered & stacked........good quality and will deliver 60 at a time........That's near Colchester, Essex
 
£4.00 a bale they are very tightly packed & large but we do have to go & get them.
Lady down the road rung up & asked if we would like some for £3.50 off the field.
It was beautiful hay but I could easily pick a bale up in each hand.
So not cost effective & in this heat lately I'm glad I didn't buy a load of resh hay off the field always worried about new hay overheating.
But looking at other posts maybe I am paying too much. It was £2.50 two years ago but the farmer blamed is increase due to diesel prices going up.
 
Last year was paying £5/bale had to get off Y/O too. large bales charged us £50!!!! and they were in a lot too :(

This year Ive just bought 10 bales of good quality at £4.50/bale large bales quite coarse hay.

Im Colchester Essex
 
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