Price of hay this season?

We made just over 1,200 small bales this year, we usually have in excess of 3,000! We literally have nothing to sell and I think the price will sky rocket in the Cotswolds
 
In my area lots of people have been able to make good big bales of hay for the first time in years rather than haylage/silage so I'd expect the price to fall slightly..

Hope so anyway!
 
Farmers weekly and Horse and hound have reported really low harvest in hay this year. Despite having a nice long heat period there just isnt enough to go around.

I would have thought price would probably increase a fair bit, half again maybe? xx
 
Well round here although there has been good weather to make the hay, there was not enough rain to make the grass grow enough. I have got my 400 bales for £2.00 and £2.25 a bale but I am lucky as my farmers have maintained last years prices and I am a longstanding customer. Think there will be a shortage again. I have got a few old bales to start me off this winter but a lot people have nothing. If the grass doesn't grow we will be feeding the stuff earlier too. Why do we have horses..........just remind me!!!
 
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Have just paid £4 per small bale in South Shrops - last year was between £2.50 and £3.00. However this hay is beautiful and keep going into the barn to smell it......!
 
We had a really good quality crop this year, but fewer bales than last year by around 40%!
We only grow for own use but if there is any surplus, we sell to friends. This year - no surplus I'm afraid.

I think there will be a problem getting hay/lage due to the reduced volume (dry spring I reckon).
 
Ours has gone up this year from £3 to £4, because they haven't cut as much as normal. Its gonna be another rubbish winter I reckon as everything is going to run short, here at least!
 
I have hayledge cut and made for my own use, but this year I'm down 30%, will hope to get another second cut later in sept but still need to make up the shortfall, will possibly have to get some brought in but again as everyone has said it may cost more. I've just brought 20 small bales to keep my mini shetties happy as thier starvy paddock is now grass free:-( I like to keep them restricted but theres nothing on it at all now, so felt sorry for them and brought them some meadow hay in (last years cut) it didnt cost too much £2 per bale and that was his most expensive. its not really rich but well made and clearn, I'm happy with the quality and price by the sounds of things. lets hope we dont have a very cold winter like the last one, I'm going to run out by december at that rate with what I 've managed to get cut and baled so far:-(((
 
We've cut one field for haylage but are hoping to do the other in a month or so for hay. Its later than normal but it just isnt good enough to do anything with now and we're hoping with some rain we may get some later cut hay.

So you never know, others may be able to do the same and the prices wont go up as much as feared.
 
It is a really bad situation in Sussex- I saw the prices quoted in yesterdays article in the H& H, and although the prices quoted were a lot, they should see what we are paying at the moment, I'm also not sure if farmers are putting their costs up to jump on the bandwagon, Meadow hay during the winter is ormally £3.50 per bale, then in the spring I had to go and buy more and the bales cost £4.50 which I thought was bad enough. When I next had to buy some from a different farm he charged me £5 a bale and now apparently they've gone up to £6 a bale due to the shortage and this is for last years hay!! not sure if the farmers are trying to make money out of a situation.

Maybe people are panic buying as well which doesn't help matters, although I appreciate it's to do with supply and demand- as owners maybe we should all refuse to pay high prices!! There is off the field stuff now for about £3.50-£4 bale which is fine, but I bet it will all be much more than that later on in the year.

Then I have horses on haylage too- and my haylage suppliers on the otherhand have said that they have had a bumper crop!! -and that they have no probs with shortages!

Obviously the weather has not helped matters and also I've heard that it's to do with fertiliser costs that have gone sky high so some hay/haylage producers may be cutting corners on that also, but my knowledge of farming is rather limited so I'm not sure, either way in our area it's going to be another tough winter if we have more bad weather-dread to think what will happen!
 
My OH has finished his hay making early for the first time in he cannot remember. It is only because the amount of bales is less than usual, so has taken less time to stack away. Yesterday we were baling a ladies field, last year she got 498 bales and this year it was only 198. Same fields, same management, it just goes to show the situation around here. It was £3 off the field (when it was in the fields) and £3.50 in the barn which I can see will go up as the amount goes down. I think there is one type of hay that is £4 a bale but it is very good quality stuff.

I love turning up in their yard it just smells lovely, my OH says it smells like hard work HAHA.
 
I'm after 800 big bales if anyone knows of any farmers with some to spare - I can arrange transport. PM me with contact details please!!!!
 
our barns are empty, so not selling any off field as our 600 sheep and 100 cattle come first, and as grass not growing, already feeding dry sheep old rough hay, so although dont aim to rob people it will be dearer
 
Yield round here (Somerset) is around half as it was last year due to lack to rain.

Farmers still have the same costs - diesal, fertilizer, labour etc so if the price goes up it doesn't mean they are taking advantage of the shortage - they will be making less money due to lower yields.

If we get some rain & they can get a decent second cut of haylage it may ease the situation but no real rain forecast here yet.

Seems strange to be wishing for rain after last summer but the ground is like concrete.
 
To all these people who think that farmers are being greedy and cashing in on the shortage - it costs money to make hay! Yes the grass can cost nothing to some, but we don't own any ground and have to pay landowners for the grass. The equipment needed costs thousands to buy and more to maintain.

You need:-

At least one tractor (OH uses three)

Mower

Haybob (OH has two)

Baler

Bale sledge

Flat eight grab

Trailers to move the bales with (OH has three plus a one that picks up whole stacks)

You also need to buy string (recently gone up in price), diesel and haybob tynes (every year).

OH has not had even half a day off since last Sunday when he had half a day and has not been home before 9pm all week and was out mowing at 6am the other day. He also has to pay someone £8 per hour to help him and he himself earns less than the minimum wage out of it, and as our yield is down by 50% this year, he'll be lucky to earn anything at all.

Why don't you all come and give him a hand and then we'll see how much you think hay is worth - most farmers think it's been too cheap for too long!
 
Well I'm from Somerset, where we haven't had any decent rain for over 3 months!! :( I usually get between 150 and 180 small bales off my little field, this year I got 57!!!!!!! I am really worried about the winter because I am going to have to buy so much in and the farmers are very reluctant to sell understandably. If anybody in the Somerset area knows of good quality, small baled hay could they please PM me? I can collect as I have a trailer.
 
Well said Marmalade76.

My OH's family are farmers and our hay and haylage crop is well down on last year. On some fields it is 50% less than last year and on others we are only getting a 1/4 of last year. We also have cattle and sheep to feed as well as my horses so what few small bales we have for sale are having to be sold for £5.50 a bale.

Our wheat and barley crop stems are also only a foot high so we are going to be short on straw as well and doubt if we are going to have enough for our own animals for the winter let alone selling any.

My father inlaw is working at least 14 hr days 7 days a week to get our harvest in, me and my Oh also help in our spare time from our full time day jobs.

For all the people who whinge about the price of hay maybe they should spend a week on a farm helping make it and then they may change their tune as after all the farmer has to live as well and by the time you have paid all the farm staff and diesel and parts for tractors and equipment and servicing there isnt much left by the time it has been sold. Also as the ground is soo hard it is causing extra wear and tear on the equipment.
 
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