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selling hay for under cost?

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Tim Shultz

11-07-2006 11:22:39




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I am trying to sell some hay of mine, third cutting alfalfa, could not be any nicer.. trying to get $3 a bale, they bales weight around 60-65 pounds each.. nobody wants it when other people are selling hay for $2 and under around here.. all I want to know is WHY farmers out there will sell for under cost.. if I can't get AT LEAST 2.75 a bale, with the cost of making it.. I'll pile it out back and burn it.. guy stoped the other day and said he would give 1.50 a bale.. I told him to stick it where the sun don't shine.. whats your thoughts on this? sorry for the rant..
Tim Shultz

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730virgil

11-09-2006 19:05:54




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
buying and selling hay is a real crap shoot . last year hay was kinda of hard to find . got hay from 2 different guys .
this year more hay around here than ants at a 4 th of july picnic .



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Joe-Bob/IN

11-09-2006 05:07:33




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
Missed your opportunity a few weeks back. Uncle took a pickup load to either Wakarusa or Nappanee and got $190/ton. Came out to $4.85/bale! We have been charging no less than $3/bale but we have many repeat amish and horse customers who do word of mouth ads for us. Been in the business for a long time, guarantee the quality, and don't sell bad hay unless that is what they want. I would take it to the sale IF it is good hay. And I mean good, not like some crap most think is good. Or wait till after the first of the year, there may be a shortage of good hay this late winter.

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jiskies2

11-08-2006 21:11:23




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
That's one of the reasons why we don't do 3rd cutting anymore. for what we get per acre it doesn't pay when we can get 2.00-3.50 for 1st and 2nd cuttings.

Speaking of weight per bale, just tell them you made them lighter so they can handle em better. Used to try to make 50 lbs or more per but that starts to get old when your stacking them over your head in the barn.

That said, if you can; wait awhile! around here once the first snow is on the ground they pay 2.50 for anything in small squares. Who knows next year might be able to sell them for 4.00...

It's kinda slow around here in NY too, but I'd imagine it will pick up. Usually have some hay left over every year and sell right up to Memorial day with last years. this year sold the this years cutting for 3.00 and 3.50 for 2nd cutting (some right off the wagon). might have to drop some on the price, all depends on who it is to me... jeff

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RodInNS

11-08-2006 17:56:20




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I don't know why people sell it at a loss. I spose a lot just don't value their time to make it. I see some people that cut the hay off old garbage fields that don't yield enough to pay the fuel, never mind other expenses or labor, and then turn around and sell the hay cheap. That part, they got right becuase the hay is garbage anyway. So I don't know why...

I do know that I've had a few guys in the barn looking at the hay I've got. One guy complained about the small bales (40 pounds), and the price (2.50). The bales are 40 pounds because the same characters are still complaining about the same price when the bales are 60 pounds. So, he didn't buy any. He can get them closer to home for 2.25 a bale, and the bales are bigger. I recomended he get them there and make that fella feel good about working for nothing. Mine will be there, or I'll feed them... but they're not going for less than 2.50. Right now I'm selling 4x4 soft core rounds for 20 bucks. This is crap quality hay, and it's simply being used for mulch on a wash plant reclamation job. The guy doing the job is a farmer, and well knows what the hay is worth. Never complained a bit about the price.
So I'd sit out the misers. You'll probably find someone to buy your good hay at your price, which is still plenty cheap for good hay.

Rod

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coup

11-08-2006 03:21:31




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
advertise in every free trading paper in the state and internet at your price....wait till spring to lower your price.....advertise it for $2.90 a bale
and $3.00 for whiners.....



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davpal

11-07-2006 21:09:12




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
Wait until about February and advertise it on this board and somebody will probably show up at your house with a semi and take the whole load.



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bgoathill

11-07-2006 19:09:31




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I figure I have about .75 in each bale, but I have all older used equipment. I usually only put up 1500-2000 bales a year. I will probably have to refigure my numbers next year because I updated my tractor from an H Farmall to a 504, but that was payed for with my scrap iron money.



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Edchainsaw

11-07-2006 18:56:31




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I would take some of your $3 hay as it was too wet here to get my neighbors second cutting for him and his horses...

I have the same problem with my round bales..
I cant get $15 a bale.....
I have one guy that every year says save me 20 bales... I save him 20 he knows I want $15... he waits till feb and march -- says its not good anymore... I will give you $12 I give in but I have run my expenses and figure I have $16 in the bales..... I've try to do it as a favor (and have been cutting my favors back)

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Just4fun

11-07-2006 18:38:35




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I sold my hay to the neighbors for .50 a bale. The neighbors appreciate it and it helps defray the cost of my hobby.



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Hal/WA

11-07-2006 18:12:11




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
It's all supply and demand. Basic economics. In a year with good moisture and conditions for hay to grow, everybody who produces hay has a lot of good, high quality product. And since the buyers have a lot to choose from in a large supply, they can expect to be able to pay less and still get the product they need in the quantity they want.

I would check around at dairies, to see what they are paying for hay this time of year. You might find someone who wants and needs the very high quality hay you have.

On our dryland in fairly arid Eastern Washington, we usually got a nice first cutting of alfalfa, and if we got enough moisture in early July, we sometimes got a much smaller second cutting, which was higher quality, because it had much less grass and weeds. But usually we just pastured the hayland in later Summer, to get rid of the later growth, and to pasture some cows.

If your alfalfa growing conditions are good enough so you get a decent 3rd cutting, you are almost stuck with cutting it that third time, just to get the excess vegitation off the field before next year's crop. That is going to cost you whatever it is going to cost you to cut, bale and handle the hay.

I would much rather get $1.50 a bale and get rid of my excess hay than I would to just keep it and get nothing. And I have had to deal with burning stacks of baled hay---not my idea of fun. You almost have to handle every bale and it might take weeks until you have them all out for sure. Sometimes you have to sell products at less than the cost of production, just to stay going. Maybe things will be better next year.

Another thought would be to buy cattle and feed the hay to them. We did that some years when we had extra big hay crops. We also had years when we sold cattle rather than buying high priced hay for them. That's farming.

Good luck in selling your hay. Have you considered trucking it somewhere? I bet there are areas that would LOVE to get your nice hay at a decent price.

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BigMarv1085

11-07-2006 17:59:05




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I live in middle Georgia and we have a big shortqage. Every farm within 3 miles has sold off their cattle because there is no hay. Looked in our state farmers market paper 3 weeks ago and there were only 3 ads for round bales. I sold 1/2 my cows and will sell another 1/3 within the month. I normally put up 2 -300 round bales and only put up 31 this year. To make matters worse is I knew I had some army worm damage but did not realize how bad until the frost got the crabgrass. I should have just turned every thing under and replanted fescue and wheat. Cut the wheat next summer, bale the straw and have a good stand of fescue. If you have extra hay, it will sell especially in the south.

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WyoDave

11-07-2006 17:02:39




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
If you're in a position to hold on to it, then do and see what the market brings, but if you have to move it then I'd sure take $1.50 over burning it any day. You've already paid what it costs to make it, so you'd be better off to get something out of it. Last year people were selling hay for under $60 a ton here, this year you can't find cow hay for under $90 a ton and horse hay is around $130-150. Divide those prices by 32 to get it by the bale. I don't deal with sales by the bale much.
David

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alg

11-07-2006 15:23:37




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
Tim, where are you located.??



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Tim Shultz

11-07-2006 15:37:03




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to alg, 11-07-2006 15:23:37  
half hour south of south-bend Indiana.. it"s in the very north part of the state..
Tim Shultz



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Midwest redneck

11-07-2006 14:15:29




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I have been trying sell a cord of firewood for $60 for a few weeks now and no calls..... I guess folks would rather pay the Propane cost.



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Hal/WA

11-07-2006 17:48:02




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Midwest redneck, 11-07-2006 14:15:29  
Is it still standing and green? If it is cut to length firewood that is dry and usable this year, I bet you aren't making much per hour selling it for $60/cord, even if you got the actual wood for free.

Unless it is something really poor, like quaking aspen, I am sure you would be able to sell all you could get at $60/cord around here. Most decent wood costs around $100/cord and even more for nice red fir or tamarack. At the supermarket, they charge about $5 for what amounts to an armload. Are you way out in the boonies, or is there some other problem in marketing the wood? I would think wood burners would jump at wood that cheap. Good luck!

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Midwest redneck

11-08-2006 02:30:40




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Hal/WA, 11-07-2006 17:48:02  
It is all hardwood, Oak, ash, elm, maple..... .I have a ad at the local hardware store on the cork board. No call yet.



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HaySam

11-07-2006 13:49:11




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
You need to take it to TEXAS



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Joe(TX)

11-08-2006 07:16:51




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to HaySam, 11-07-2006 13:49:11  
I agree on the Texas thing. Grass hay is selling for $8 and up here. I wish it was a little closer.



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Tx Jim

11-08-2006 03:07:14




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to HaySam, 11-07-2006 13:49:11  
AMEN on Texas!!! Small squares of Alfalfa are bringing $10/12 and grass hay $7/9 in feedstore here. Had dairyman tell me big squares bringing $180/200 per ton. We got some rain but still way behind. Tx Jim



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dhermesc

11-07-2006 13:59:56




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to HaySam, 11-07-2006 13:49:11  
Agreed. Or maybe Oklahoma



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Cliff Neubauer

11-07-2006 13:48:28




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
We have buyer's from Colorado and Texas who are giving us $3/bale for good alfalfa picked up at our farm by the semi load. The last load we sent out was going to a guy in Texas with million dollar horses and for a buyer like that finding a consistant high quality source for hay is more important than price and I'd much rather sell by the semi load than pickup loads. This year we will sell about 9,000 bales of alfalfa and if our market stay's good I wouldn't mind doubling that number.

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GregCO

11-07-2006 14:27:05




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Cliff Neubauer, 11-07-2006 13:48:28  
Cliff, where are you located?

Greg



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Cliff Neubauer

11-07-2006 17:42:42




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to GregCO, 11-07-2006 14:27:05  
I'm in south east Iowa, about 50 miles west of Illinois and 25 miles north of Missouri.



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BillyinStoughton

11-07-2006 13:25:54




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I think all the other boys have hit it on the head. It's tough to get $2 a bale in November for a nice small square of alfalfa/grass...but I have people begging me for it by the end of January for $3.50 to $4.00. Last year I even had a guy that runs a good size horse farm down the road that was going to give me $2.00 a bale for marsh grass come January last year.

Stick it out son! You'll make out alright!

Billy

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caleb

11-07-2006 13:23:19




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
We bought hay it for 7 bucks a bale delivered last month and the horses wouldnt eat it at all. It looked like it was all weeds. The local feedstore has an out of area supplier that is getting in some top notch hay and we are paying 9 dollars a bale and they will gladly load it in your truck. The biggest hay farmer in our area that produces some of the best hay in the state said he couldnt afford to bale squares because of what the cattle farmers were giving him for rounds. He has 800 acres of coastal thats not irrigated. I worked for him until the drought. We've had nice rains lately so maybe we will see an end to this soon. But good luck Tim. Caleb in TX

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bill carlton

11-07-2006 13:07:04




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I don't know where you are, but there is a huge shortage of hay in North Florida-South Alabama-South Georgia. There was only one cutting of hay when there is usually 3 cuttings. Our hay person who usually sold us hay for $3.50 per bale(delivered) did not inform us that he was not going to bale hay this year. When we found out in mid-October hay was in short supply and going for $4.00 per bale (u pick up). To make sure we have enough for the winter, we paid $5.50 per bale for the last 200 bales and had to pay for having it delivered plus unloading it ourselves.

I think alfala hay retails at about $12.00 per bale here. Depending upon where you are located, you may want to considered shipping some this way (if transportation cost do not kill you).

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GregCO

11-07-2006 13:03:45




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
$3.00 a bail? What are they complaining about? On the front range of CO we are paying minimum $5.50 and as high as $6.50 and that is if we haul it.

Tim, I wish you were close to me. I would buy all you had for your asking price.

Greg



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mjbrown

11-07-2006 12:47:32




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I dabbled in the hay business for years and you got to have a thick skin because the product of your sweat and anxiety (weather) gets run down by people who want to steal it. I never had a hay jockey come on the place who liked the hay he was buying. Always something wrong, this that or the other thing. You had to follow them to the scales too. They might be loaded with ice when they weighed empty then stop and knock it off on the way back to the scales, crap like that. One guy got caught with hidden water tanks that were full when he weighed empty then he opened a valve out of sight of the farm and dumped it along the road on the way to the scale.
Winter tends to bring up the price of hay. Late winter is peak hay price time.

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Dave H (MI)

11-07-2006 12:40:37




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I routinely get $4 or close per bale on my surplus. I usually have more people who want it than I have hay. Not too much good quality hay in my area anymore. A few miles south of here are a lot of people doing exactly what you describe, though. Never could figure how they stayed in business.



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Luke S

11-07-2006 12:13:41




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I don't know, here in east central Missouri, I am getting $3.50 a bale for 50lbs bales of orchard grass/clover mix. All of it goes to the St.louis horse industry, of which I know many of. I never keep a bale in storage longer than 30 days, it all is gone before then. I never thought my hay was that good, but according to all my customers it is top notch. There are a lot of guys selling stuff that looks like straw for $4.00 in St.Louis. I have been debating building a hay shed just for squares big enough to handle a New Holland stack wagon and going that way, as I can sell every bale I can make, but I have been holding off as I'll spend $15000 pretty quick on a shed and an old stackwagon, but I don't know maybe I should do it?

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Leland

11-07-2006 12:12:39




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
Just keep it until the rest run out of cheap hay ,then they won't have much of a choise now will they



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hayray

11-07-2006 11:52:29




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I know exactly how you feel, but I think I am in an area where the hay market is much better than what you described.

Two things come to mind as to why hay is continually sold cheap -

1. People baleing small amounts of hay with old payed off equipment who have other jobs, they are often over anxious to get rid of hay to anybody who will come and get it.

2nd - Large goverment subsidized cash crop farmers doing some hay during the summer in between planting and wheat, they have a lot of equipment and man power and can usually move a lot of hay in a short time.

I have a lot of both situations in my area, but stick to your guns and don't let people talk you down.

Ray

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Ken Macfarlane

11-07-2006 11:52:09




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
I've had price complaints about my 3$ a bale hay like crazy, people grumbled at my 2.75$ a bale hay a bit. Sold a wagon of second cut that never got unloaded into the barn for 2$ a bale and that was the only stuff I got no complaints about.

It costs be about 2$ a bale just to make the stuff never mind handling it and storing it in the barns. I tell people who complain about the price that round bales are a lot cheaper option for them and they should look into getting them delivered and get a tractor to feed them out.

BTW All horse clients who complain. All with high dollar horses. No quality complaints.

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CharleyFarmall

11-07-2006 11:48:35




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to Tim Shultz, 11-07-2006 11:22:39  
Most people don't actually know what it costs them to make the hay to start with. Next, there are a lot of people out there that don't have the money to have horses let alone buy cheap hay. One of my neighbors bales and sells locally for a $1 a bale. Third, a lot of the grass sold for hay is not so great but it gets baled and sold anyway. I cut 20 acres into the ground this year to build up the soil in anticipation of renewing my hay fields. Next, when enough people come through and turn down hay for >$2 a bale, a lot of people come down in price fearing it will never sell and they will have to store it.
My hay wasn't so good this year, partly because I cut it too late, partly because the fields are getting weedy. My third cutting didn't dry well enough and has a lot of clover in it. Now it's composting in back. In eastern tn, the hay is running out and people can't find it. It was a bad year weather wise (wet) and more people are quitting square bales. Soon all that cheap hay will be gone, then they will need you. Also, AlfAlfa should sell for more.

Try Advertising elsewhere:
www.hayexchange.com
Link
Link

Good Luck
Charley

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steveormary

11-07-2006 20:25:02




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 Re: selling hay for under cost? in reply to CharleyFarmall, 11-07-2006 11:48:35  
Thats the American farmer way, buy high and sell sheep.

steveormary



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