Is hay in short supply for 2010???

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Fransurrey

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I thought there was loads of it. Everyone seems to be cutting early and it all looks fab in the fields.

I just had a text from my hay man (who I've bought from for the past 5 years) and he's hiked the price up by 250%, saying it's in short supply.To say he’s extracting the urine would be an understatement, I feel, as he doesn’t even store it – we collect straight off the field fresh from the baler! Anybody have any recommendations for hay off the field in Surrey/West Sussex?
 
I'm in Hants and have been told by my hayman that there is a shortage. He has also put his prices up to £6. But they are the big bales and are good value I guess.

Another hayman I know has said the same thing, he has run out completely and is offering his customers small bale haylege.
 
I can't see that anyone knows yet! ours is a couple of weeks behind last year because it has been so dry.. so it is all dependent on if the weather holds out once it becomes thick enough to cut.
 
Maybe he's working on a statment i heard yesterday.... Driest start to a year since 1964 & is hoping this will mean the years hay supply will be short therefore will justify his price hike.
Luckily I make my own hay and have tooo much so I supply a couple of friends on a buy when need basis so I can stop supplying if I'm running short (not that that has ever happened yet)
 
Are you trying to buy hay now - to be used now? Is he talking about LAST year's hay - that can be used now? That could be running low perhaps... Most horse hay hasn't been cut yet - its usually later cuts, so they don't know if they've got it in safely or not yet...
 
I know last year was terrible for the hay cut, which is why I'm buying horsehage as our supplier has run out of hay and he's only able to offer stuff that is of an unsatisfactory quality, but surely if we are having reasonably normal weather, as we are, then hopefully it will be a good year this year, and this years cut will see us through OK for next year wont it?
 
He's talking about this year's hay, so it's not a question of running out - he supplies regular people each year and sells the surplus to others.

We buy off the field every year and apparently he's cutting it this week. Literally just had the text to say there's no grass and so he's increased the price by this amount/ It normally goes up by 10-20p per bale, which is fair enough, but this is ridiculous!
 
Fransurrey said:
Literally just had the text to say there's no grass and so he's increased the price by this amount/ It normally goes up by 10-20p per bale, which is fair enough, but this is ridiculous!
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I don't get it. You're in surrey and there's no grass growth? We are in Herts and the grass is longer, thicker and lusher than it's been in years. The warm humid weather and frequent showers has sent all the grass mad, and we're having to restrict grazing left right and centre because of it.
 
Unfortunately, we will probably be short - the late spring and very dry weather afterwards means that the crop is rather sparse, we are cutting now and hoping that with loads of fert and a bit of rain we will manage a second crop in late Aug/September...
 
I think some suppliers would like us to think there is!

There always seems to be an excuse as to why it is so expensive. Drought now I've heard!
 
I heard the same thing, apparently it has a lot to do with the large forage auctions held. Last year because of the wet weather there was a poor supply of hay. And then at the large auctions it was ALL bought by one person, who was intending to wait till supply ran out and then start selling at ridiculous prices. Usually suppliers just buy what they need and it doesn't all go to one place.
 
martlin said:
Unfortunately, we will probably be short - the late spring and very dry weather afterwards means that the crop is rather sparse, we are cutting now and hoping that with loads of fert and a bit of rain we will manage a second crop in late Aug/September...
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Oh dear...maybe I am overly optimistic. Oh well...my horsey does enjoy his horsehage, even though it hurts my pocket :(
 
I haven't heard anything about this in Somerset... I'm getting hay from the same person as last year and at the same price, which from what you guys are saying, is a really good price!! I've been told they might be late in cutting but nothing abouta shortage... odd!
 
We cant get hold of any from anyone!!

I am in essex and i luckily still have a few if i need them but the other girls on the yard are all out! I have loaned a few but dont want to leave myself short so cant offer any more.

Think i will buy in excess next time its available!
 
Maybe the problem is that there's hardly any hay left from 2009?
I know I always used to buy or book hay in the summer but not use it until Christmas at the earliest.....so if everybody is using this years harvest at least 3 months early there is a fear that it will be in short supply by early 2011?

AFAIK, Dougie Hill still has hay in Essex but it aint cheap :(
 
italylyns said:
We cant get hold of any from anyone!!

I am in essex and i luckily still have a few if i need them but the other girls on the yard are all out! I have loaned a few but dont want to leave myself short so cant offer any more.

Think i will buy in excess next time its available!
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I'm in essex and still have loads that needs to be sold so this years cut can go in the barn!
 
I guess there may be some who are having to cut early as they have demand and nothing to supply people with even though the grass perhaps isnt quite ready. Otherwise I cant see why they wouldn't be holding on a few more weeks and then cutting. To cut now would be early round here anyway though there has been very little silageing going on too.
 
Agree, I am in Somerset and I have heard nothing about this!
The farmer cuts his own hay for us and hasn't gone up in price for a couple of years, the grass is up to our waists, and he is starting to cut it now.

Pretty sure we hear this every year. Last year in Glos the farmer told us he won't have enough hay for the winter due to the weather and hiked his price up, turned out he had more than enough for the winter twice over!
 
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my haylage man was worried, too hot not enough rain. We seem to hear this every year though don't we? Think its an excuse to make horse ownership even more expensive!
 
There is this rumour down in Dorset as well that there is going to be a supply shortage. OH works as a contractor and does all the hay/haylage making and silaging. We are getting 150 bales on Friday of new cut because we've got the room and will sell the excess if needs be.
 
We have just started making some here, we were lucky to be offered an extra six acres which hasn't been used since last year so plenty of grass on it. Other than that, our usual hay fields have nowhere near enough grass to mow yet, we would normally have done at least ten acres by now. I think it's quite likely that hay will be in short supply, particularly if the weather isn't helpful!
 
This guy only supplies about 6 people, me being one. I definitely don't have a problem waiting for hay and he knows that. I know one year we got the hay at the end of August, so it's not as if he's not waited before. Last year was the first year we got it in June.

To those telling us they can't get hay - this is not about last year's hay! I'm talking about the 2010 crop, which most of us don't need until winter 2010! Sorry, but I'm not buying this drought/shortage excuse. Farmers round here have been cutting for weeks due to EXCESS growth. It's the stupidly high hike I resent, as there's no way he's got 2/5 of the hay!

I replied to his text to point out it was 250% and I just got a reply to say that it'll be worth more later in the year. Well, you don't say, but the point of me buying it now is to save him carting it to the barn and storing it. We even stack it ourselves!
 
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I heard that hay supply was short as well and thats in France. One of our neighbour makes and supplies hay, he says they haven't done well this year and all the hay is already sold out!
 
Yes it is I'm afraid, in certain parts of the country the grass has been very slow coming through due to the first two weeks of may being very cold, also we just haven't had enough rain, although it looks alot when cut and lying on the field the yeild is down at least 50%. It's a big wake up call to horse owners as quite frankly I was disgusted by the amount of hay wasted last year, trampled into the ground or chucked on the muckheap = most people simply fed too much, sorry to say but most horses and ponies are overweight anyway, why people can't weigh feed stuffs is beyond me. Time to start looking at alternatives, as the way the weather patterns are going wer'e not going to get much of a hay crop in this country in future years.
 
We are in Shropshire and the grass has only really started shooting up over the last few weeks, mainly due to a cold and dry spring, so can understand there may be some problems. Having said that there should be enough time for it to catch up as long as we get the rain, and they are silaging like mad now around here.
 
For the first year ever we may not get a hay crop this year.

The cold nights kept the grass from growing, then it was too dry.

Personally, I am already saving my pennies for an expensive Winter 2010/11 as there is definitely going to be a shortage over the UK, especially as there are no backup from 2009.10!!
 
I have an obscene amount of grass in my field that I need cutting and baling, but am stuck to find someone to do it for me :( I've never seen my field with so much grass on it!! And sod's law, neither of my horses are allowed at it :p
 
there is lots of grass here and they are cutting already. Never seen the hayfields looking this good so early.

The local large scale haylage maker in the area says they will be starting cutting next week so no sign of shortage here.

2009 hay on the other hand is getting harder to find
 
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