Rise in Big Bale Haylage Prices, What Will You Be Paying?

[Calico1]

I phoned my haylage supplier to put my order in for this year and he told me that the price has gone up from £30 per bale to £44. Quite an increase but due to the costs of everything going up I can't blame suppliers for putting prices up. Just wandered if anyone else has had their quotes yet?

 

[Identityincrisis]

Big bale of nice meadow hay was £34, this year £41, better than I was expecting but rumours are, he's only cut half his fields this year which is quite worrying

 

[Patterdale]

We cut top quality haylage as horsey people were crying out for it, and then couldn’t sell it at £35 a bale. So it’s all stacked in the yard and husband isn’t happy!

So I honestly don’t know what’s going on with the price of haylage! But we certainly won’t be making more than just what we need for our own again.

 

[Kaylum]

The wrap has gone up so much. Around here the farmers are changing to hay making rather than haylage for this very reason.

 

[little_critter]

I was thinking it must be the wrap. I’m seeing small bale hay at surprisingly cheap prices (lowest was £2.50 off the field).

 

[CanteringCarrot]

We cut top quality haylage as horsey people were crying out for it, and then couldn’t sell it at £35 a bale. So it’s all stacked in the yard and husband isn’t happy!

So I honestly don’t know what’s going on with the price of haylage! But we certainly won’t be making more than just what we need for our own again.

What? For a big bale/round bale? That's a good price IMO. I'd certainly buy at that price. I'm used to 65€ for haylage, so my view is a bit different, but considering the cost of everything £35 is a good price. Maybe sales will pick up eventually. It's sad when people no longer want to make it, because a good hay supplier is worth having.

 

[Rowreach]

Prices pretty much the same as last year in NI.

 

[Xmasha]

We’ve just had our bill from the contractor. It’s gone up by £5 per bale to make .
costs come down to yield , and this year the yield was good, I dread to think what it would have been with poor grass growth . ( we don’t use any fertiliser )
So quite happy with just £5 increase given everything that’s going on .

 

[rabatsa]

The bills are in for baling and wrapping here. They came to £12.50/bale. Our costs for fuel and man hours ect for cutting and turning/rowing up came to £11/bale. This means that a round bale of hay has costs of £23.50 without taking into account the use of the land to grow the crop, which would be at least 6 months rental value.

We got 8 bales to the acre and when we last rented any grazng out it was 50p/sheep/week and that was a few years ago. Even on that price it is close to £9.50/bale.

We would be selling at a loss for anything less than £35 and at least another £5 would be needed for the hassle of dealing with people, plus a profit has to be made somewhere on the farm for it to survive and pay a wage. If everything was sold at cost there would be no one making any hay to sell.

 

[Bikerchickone]

The bills are in for baling and wrapping here. They came to £12.50/bale. Our costs for fuel and man hours ect for cutting and turning/rowing up came to £11/bale. This means that a round bale of hay has costs of £23.50 without taking into account the use of the land to grow the crop, which would be at least 6 months rental value.

We got 8 bales to the acre and when we last rented any grazng out it was 50p/sheep/week and that was a few years ago. Even on that price it is close to £9.50/bale.

We would be selling at a loss for anything less than £35 and at least another £5 would be needed for the hassle of dealing with people, plus a profit has to be made somewhere on the farm for it to survive and pay a wage. If everything was sold at cost there would be no one making any hay to sell.

Thank you for sharing the figures. I do think it helps to know what the costs are before people start complaining that it's too expensive. I'd guess there's also costs to add for delivery fuel and a contribution to the maintenance of trailer and vehicle used for delivery, plus driver's time. I think we've all been really lucky with the prices in years gone by but we're going to have to start paying for the hay if we want farmers to continue to make it.

We are quite lucky in that we have about 9 acres for 3 horses and a Shetland pony so used barely any hay last year (maybe 4 round bales?) but I'll still be calling my supplier to reserve some for this winter. Guessing I will be looking at around £50 per bale as opposed to last year's £32.50 which seemed very cheap even then for really nice meadow hay that wasn't all ryegrass.

 

[Horseysheepy]

I phoned my haylage supplier to put my order in for this year and he told me that the price has gone up from £30 per bale to £44. Quite an increase but due to the costs of everything going up I can't blame suppliers for putting prices up. Just wandered if anyone else has had their quotes yet?

That's actually quite reasonable.

However, hayledge and silage will possibly be in demand as most people around here have made the most of the dry weather and made hay instead of wrapping anything, which is also due to increase in cost of wrap.

We normally make a load of silage, but jumped straight into hay instead.

 

[millitiger]

Same price as last year, here in Hereford.
£30-35 for big bale haylage.

 

[Lintel]

I have the greatest farmer with lovely hay who is still selling at £30 a bale for me just now however I know of others at £50 a bale. - the thought of that alongside energy prices rising makes me feel abit lightheaded!

 

[Birker2020]

The bills are in for baling and wrapping here. They came to £12.50/bale. Our costs for fuel and man hours ect for cutting and turning/rowing up came to £11/bale. This means that a round bale of hay has costs of £23.50 without taking into account the use of the land to grow the crop, which would be at least 6 months rental value.

We got 8 bales to the acre and when we last rented any grazng out it was 50p/sheep/week and that was a few years ago. Even on that price it is close to £9.50/bale.

We would be selling at a loss for anything less than £35 and at least another £5 would be needed for the hassle of dealing with people, plus a profit has to be made somewhere on the farm for it to survive and pay a wage. If everything was sold at cost there would be no one making any hay to sell.

Thanks for sharing, it makes sense.

 

[milliepops]

That's actually quite reasonable.

However, hayledge and silage will possibly be in demand as most people around here have made the most of the dry weather and made hay instead of wrapping anything, which is also due to increase in cost of wrap.

We normally make a load of silage, but jumped straight into hay instead.

yep. i normally have haylage or wrapped hay which is stored outside but OH is trying to fill every available space with small bale hay instead this year to save the wrap cost. fortunately i have a whole bay at the yard so that will be quite a saving.

 

[Birker2020]

I have the greatest farmer with lovely hay who is still selling at £30 a bale for me just now however I know of others at £50 a bale. - the thought of that alongside energy prices rising makes me feel abit lightheaded!

I know its scarey. I think feed manufacturers will be plugging their 'basic ranges' just so people can still afford to feed their horses.

 

[chocolategirl]

The bills are in for baling and wrapping here. They came to £12.50/bale. Our costs for fuel and man hours ect for cutting and turning/rowing up came to £11/bale. This means that a round bale of hay has costs of £23.50 without taking into account the use of the land to grow the crop, which would be at least 6 months rental value.

We got 8 bales to the acre and when we last rented any grazng out it was 50p/sheep/week and that was a few years ago. Even on that price it is close to £9.50/bale.

We would be selling at a loss for anything less than £35 and at least another £5 would be needed for the hassle of dealing with people, plus a profit has to be made somewhere on the farm for it to survive and pay a wage. If everything was sold at cost there would be no one making any hay to sell.

Those who don’t make their own don’t understand all the costs involved, particularly the loss of rental income for having to set land aside, they just want it as cheap as possible?

 

[Rowreach]

Those who don’t make their own don’t understand all the costs involved, particularly the loss of rental income for having to set land aside, they just want it as cheap as possible?

Now that I don't make my own I am happy to pay extra for the "no stress no hassle" bit that I am saving myself from.

 

[Rowreach]

Duplicate

 

[Orangehorse]

My OH has just - this morning - come to the end of baling over 1,000 round bales of hay. He said that the fuel cost alone of one bale is £2.00. Cut the grass, keep turning it, and then when it is dry row-in ready for the baler.

We make a big clamp of silage and the man helping us this year has just bought our old forager, as he used to have round, wrapped bales, but the charges by the contractor, the increase in the price of the wrap, have got so high much he is going back to clamp silage for his own animals.

What has amazed us is how no-one round here has any livestock anymore. The farms have lots of grass, and to keep it in "good agricultural" state the grass has to be cut during the year either topped, or cut for hay. We have had people come into the yard and offer us fields of grass for hay. We have our usual sources and make hay for a couple of people on 50/50 basis usually, but if anyone else asks, we have got enough thanks.

 

[ameeyal]

The wrap has gone up so much. Around here the farmers are changing to hay making rather than haylage for this very reason.

we have had ours wrapped it’s only gone up to £9 per bale from £8 ( just to have it baled and wrapped )

 

[only_me]

We paid £35 off the field for big bale Haylage last week, they get it in winter. It’s not the best quality but I don’t need the best as have a fat horse & 2 fat donkeys!

Netted big bale hay (fantastic quality, used by nearby Stud) cost them £35 a bale outright so I expect it will sell to public 45-50, but then big bale hay is rare in NI.

I think prices around is 40-45 for standard quality haylege atm. Wrap and fertilizer has been extortionate this year