Scaremongering or will hay prices be through the roof in winter?

[hopscotch bandit]

Anyone?

I've heard so many stories about the cost of hay set to escalate due to not getting a second cut because of the hot weather/lack of rain and growing.

This years hay from my usual supplier is only 3-4 weeks old and I'm a bit dubious about feeding it at the moment as its so green and rich so I'm buying some old stuff which my horse isn't very keen on, but is keeping her weight down.

I'm tempted to stock up on some round bales of hay but realistically only have room for three in my space at the yard I am on which would probably on last me a max of 2 months in the winter.Its currently the same price it was last year (£35) for a round bale.

 

[ester]

I've heard it to but don't know anyone that usually takes a second cut of hay, though they'll often take a late silage cut.

 

[Crackerz]

I'll just feed haylage if i have to, everyone around here took a second cut a fortnight ago and apparently yield per field was up

 

[milliepops]

OH has made most of his hay, it's not just that he won't get a second cut but also the yield is well down in places.

Round here farmers are turning their cattle out on what would have been the 2nd cut if it had bloody grown, as there is no grazing really. And there is none of last year's left to feed. A local supplier has already sold everything they've made apparently. And any remaining mowing grass to be bought is very pricey.

So in my neck of the woods, yes, expecting hay to be very expensive. (unless something amazing happens and we get a dose of rain soon!)

 

[whiteflower]

Think it depends where you are. I've just spoken to my supplier, yield down, no second cut and he's only supplying regular customers this year. Price has gone up too by a fiver for big hayledge bales and 50p per small bale hay.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Our supplier was saying last week that if we don't have a decent amount of rain soon, there will be no 2nd hay cut. I think haylage will be more likely because it doesn't have to dry, which can be a problem later in the year. He has put his prices up by £5 per round bale. He has run out of last year's haylage and we are now having to use this year's hay. It is very short stuff which gets everywhere when you are dealing with it.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

In my neck of the woods it seems most have got a very good 1st cut for hay, but unless it rains from now to end Aug, farmer friends say it's unlikely there will be a 2nd cut of hay or silage.
Prices off the fields locally for large or small bale hay were the same as last year's, but hay that's already been barned up after baling last month, is 50p/£1 (or higher!) a bale more for small bales.

The only 2017 hay around here is being carefully hoarded and is still commanding £5 -6 a bale. It's not always v good quality from what I've seen on friends yards.

I have some 2016 hay still, it's suitable for the little ones, and about a dozen of 2017 good bales, apart from last month's which is in the barn. V glad I haven't taken summer liveries, as my 4 can strip it through autumn and 1st half of winter.

I can see that anyone that's on an overstocked yard is quite likely to be struggling for grass at present

 

[milliepops]

I can see that anyone that's on an overstocked yard is quite likely to be struggling for grass at present

definitely, we have tiny paddocks and there are only a few of us with reasonable grazing at the moment where I am. I got SO lucky that YO wanted to fertilise my fields just when we last had any meaningful rain, can't even remember how long ago that was. Ages. Grass whooshed through so I fenced half my paddocks off, I'm now strip grazing into it, mostly standing hay but plenty of it. Others are feeding hay in the field.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

talking to my hay guy-he only does hay and he got in an early (june/July-early for Scotland) good cut and is hoping for a second. But many that graze their hay fields couldnt get fertiser/muck on them early enough so yields for them are down. Some farmers are having to feed hay etc now due to poor grass and there also wont be much 2017 hay left over from that hard winter and a cold spring that meant beasts were in or being fed for longer in the year. tbh last years hay round here wasnt that great, the best hay I had in was brought in from down south and I've just used the last bale this week, lovely stuff.

Put this with poor yields elsewhere, no reserves and an ongoing hot summer in parts of the UK, if we have another hard winter then its not going to be easy or cheap. I am going to try and get a load in quick and double check availability of winter grazing this weekend.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I think I am going to buy a bulk order of hay/haylage to last me this year. It has been an absolute nightmare trying to find hay the last few months! I know of a few places that will let you buy and keep it with them and you either pick up or get delivered what you need when if you have nowhere yourself to keep it.

 

[Nudibranch]

We've just bought our hay from our usual supplier and he said he was almost sold out, when usually he has loads left off the field. Tbf the price was 2.75 a bale, only 15p a small bale more than last year. However a neighbouring farmer is currently selling small bales for £5, which is a lot round here. Someone said we should have bought more from our guy and sold it on! Not many do a second cut in a normal year, and the grass is nowhere near growing again. Certainly round here there's an expectation of a shortage come winter.

 

[ameeyal]

we make and sell, hay and haylage, we haven't had the amount this year, and our regular customers are ringing us up asking to save them hundreds of bales, my husband has bought in thousands of pounds worth of huge bales of hay to sell on or rebale into conventional bales. farmers around here are thinking of selling cows because they haven't got the feed for them. its not going to be good this year.

 

[Tiddlypom]

^^^^ agree ameeyal, hay will be in short supply and expensive in Cheshire this year. The quality is good, but the yield was well down and the grass is not growing back at all. We got 194 small bales off our 2.5ish acre hay field @ £1.08p/bale, and need to keep them all for my neds.

Farmers are short of grass and worried about next winter.

 

[honetpot]

If people are only selling locally off the field and you can get it I think the price has not gone up much.
The worry is the bigger traders who sell to farmers and also the power stations will buy in everything else,
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/silage-straw-hay-price-tracker.85/page-338
Two years ago I can remember someone baling hay in the first week of October. If we are lucky and have a mild and soggy September they may get another cut and certainly my fields would feed my lot until Christmas.
I have bought in as much as I can store, you can always feed it next year.

 

[kimberleigh]

Not hay but straw...just been informed that if you can get anyone to sell you 1 small bale of straw it will set you back €15 here 😮😮😮

 

[Fiona]

It's definitely one of those years where if you can buy now in bulk then do it.

We filled our barn with hay from normal supplier in June, so only need to source a pallet of small bale haylage for the coughy one and we will be all organised.

Some farmers round here are feeding silage to cows in the field...

Fiona

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Anyone?

I've heard so many stories about the cost of hay set to escalate due to not getting a second cut because of the hot weather/lack of rain and growing.

This years hay from my usual supplier is only 3-4 weeks old and I'm a bit dubious about feeding it at the moment as its so green and rich so I'm buying some old stuff which my horse isn't very keen on, but is keeping her weight down.

I'm tempted to stock up on some round bales of hay but realistically only have room for three in my space at the yard I am on which would probably on last me a max of 2 months in the winter.Its currently the same price it was last year (£35) for a round bale.

i have asked our local hay person and they got a second cut but not as many as normal, and he said no shortage with them, so we are ok.

They cut the first hay end of may and then the second cut they normally get 1300 but only got 700, they said most do their first cut end of june so cannot get a second cut, but they cut early and manage a second cut, this years hay £ 4 per bale ( small bales) no shortage they said

 

[willhegofirst]

We have paid the same as last year for hay off the field, but the price of straw has shot up, paid the same for the straw as the hay this year. We do get barley straw, as we have goats and lambs which are bedded on it and love to eat it.

 

[Nasicus]

I messaged my hay guy asking how it was looking, and he's pretty happy with it, no shortage on his end.

 

[buzyizzy]

Think it depends where you are. I've just spoken to my supplier, yield down, no second cut and he's only supplying regular customers this year. Price has gone up too by a fiver for big hayledge bales and 50p per small bale hay.

Ditto here in Cornwall. Where is everyone?

 

[Polos Mum]

Our local cattle farmer (has farmed this area of Yorkshire for 40 years) is worried - the key things for him aren't so much yield (it was OK) or second cut (not relied upon in this area) but there was not a scrap left at the end of the winter because it was so grim and people are feeding in the field already because there is no grass.
If we use up loads over the next 6 weeks then getting through the winter on no reserves will be tough.

I usually buy 25 rounds and I had the pain of buying extra in late Feb this year - something I don't want to repeat. So this year I have bought 40 - as someone said earlier worst case I have most of winter 2019 sorted !!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

There is a guy up the road who is selling new hay at £50 - yes £50! A round bale just now! I also know at the end of winter he bought 40bales of haylage for £27 each and sold them straight off his lorry before he even got them home for £45 a bale. He is charging £7 a bale for small bales just now too. Sadly whilst most suppliers are laughing at him for his lack of trade he is the one who will have hay left during winter and command whatever price he likes.

 

[pixie]

We've just got ours in - 750 bales of lovely meadow hay. Now we just need to work out what we want to keep for winter and sell the rest. Our barley straw, we've already sold two large lorry and trailer loads. Hopefully the spring barley will give a decent straw yield too. Most years we end up letting other people bale excess straw, but I think we'll do all of ours ourselves if it keeps selling so well.
Price wise, we'll charge our liveries and regulars the same as always; it makes good business sense. The rest will go at market rate.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I am amazed that people still manage to buy in small bales for less than £3 anywhere-can't see how its worth the effort producing it for that sort of money.
I'm paying £4 a bale, in past years its been £3.50 or £4.50 from the same guy and it would be fine at more than that-in 10 years I've not had to chuck a bale of his away. I bought in a load last year from a different supplier at £5.50 (because usual guy was late getting his in and the other guy didn't have any) and it was nice stuff and I didn't begrudge it. My hay guy doesn't let his all go, he has regular customers and he keeps us all in hay until spring-even in the worst years. His straw is good too-just wish I could get oat straw!

 

[DirectorFury]

There is a guy up the road who is selling new hay at £50 - yes £50! A round bale just now! I also know at the end of winter he bought 40bales of haylage for £27 each and sold them straight off his lorry before he even got them home for £45 a bale. He is charging £7 a bale for small bales just now too. Sadly whilst most suppliers are laughing at him for his lack of trade he is the one who will have hay left during winter and command whatever price he likes.

The main sellers in my area were buying hay in for ~£20 a bale (inc delivery) and selling them for ~£55 a bale (not delivered! You have to collect) at the end of last winter. They were selling out before the lorry had even been unloaded. If we have another winter like the last I can imagine round hay easily ending up at £70 a bale. Large square hay is currently £80, small square £7. I daren't look at the price of straw!
There are going to be lots of hungry horses round here next winter if prices do go as I predict, I hope it doesn't come to that . The yard (full livery) that I'm on is sorted for winter but I worry about people who can't afford to buy in bulk right now.

 

[TheMule]

I think in general people need to start to consider sustainability and stock land more sensibly or accept that forage is going to be very expensive to buy.
I have 18 acres for 4 horses, I have cut my own haylage and therefore have more than enough to cover a winter and lots of surplus for 'just in case'. I am currently feeding last year's 'just in case'.

 

[Nasicus]

I've been a bit peeved to see a few people local to me selling hay with a 'omg there's going to be a shortage this winter better stock up now!!' tagline. Well no duh there's going to be a shortage if you incite people into panic buying!