Hay Prices for equine market

[theboytheboy]

Making hay for cattle is not that difficult. Making GOOD hay for the equine market is very hard work and IMO the need to make it in big bales is going in the wrong direction. Make good small bale hay or break those big bales down during the winter into little bales and you will have a good market.
Again IMO most horsey folk can't handle big stuff so unless you aim for sales to Lambourne or Newmarket you'll never really be anything but a passing seller. If you do go for sales to the above you have to guarantee every bale each & every time, no messing.
SS

Always say any problems with bales let us know and we will swap them. Not many people get in touch so can only assume not too many bad bales.

I do remind customers that they are not made in factory conditions and the odd bad bale will slip through despite best efforts

 

[Bob c]

What kit is that @Bob c?

cherry 40 bale grab
bale sledge made by frank and graham cherry made in about 1986 ish

 

[It was already broken.]

Doesn't seem to do you any good explaining the product to them. I really don't think they understand what they are buying or how forage works for their animal. Which is why they buy on price. They will spend a fortune on supplements but feed a tiny slice of a bale to a horse that is boxed up for 10 hours then complain it eats its bedding.

 

[Laminated]

Most round bales in the yard will of cost well over £20 to make. How do you value the ones damaged in storage, delivery cost and warranty if you have to go and swop them. Also the bad payers have to be allowed for.
And then there is that dirty word called PROFIT!

Can you break down the £20 for me please? I tend to agree but I put my costs at around £15

 

[Laminated]

Another key to making good hay is don't be afraid to mow it in the rain ahead of a good 4 day forecast. I have made some of my best hay this way

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Another key to making good hay is don't be afraid to mow it in the rain ahead of a good 4 day forecast. I have made some of my best hay this way

A bit of 'Balers Choice' will help here too!
SS

 

[4course]

how the hell can anyone make hay including rent equivalent, reseeding, fert, and weed control , roll,cut, ted a few times, rake, , bale, lead, stack, store, load out, deliver not to mention insurance marketingother fc and think they are making money at some of the prices above defeats me, with respect I think folks should sit down with a pen and work out how much capital they have spent to get a bit of cash back cos that is the only way they can be looking at it ,

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Doesn't seem to do you any good explaining the product to them. I really don't think they understand what they are buying or how forage works for their animal. Which is why they buy on price. They will spend a fortune on supplements but feed a tiny slice of a bale to a horse that is boxed up for 10 hours then complain it eats its bedding.

There's a lot of owners who don't realise their charges need to eat pretty much all of the time. This keeps the animals gut in good working order.
SS

 

[suffolksmallholder]

how the hell can anyone make hay including rent equivalent, reseeding, fert, and weed control , roll,cut, ted a few times, rake, , bale, lead, stack, store, load out, deliver not to mention insurance marketingother fc and think they are making money at some of the prices above defeats me, with respect I think folks should sit down with a pen and work out how much capital they have spent to get a bit of cash back cos that is the only way they can be looking at it ,

If you make good hay, it'll pay. Carp dusty stuff that the animals won't eat, mouldy stuff the animals won't eat. Rye grass that is too high in sugar & is bad for the animals. The list is long. The work involved in feeding horses correctly is a long and hard one with vets bills on top if laminitis sets in. Particularly on older animals.
The best bale is coarse, no rye & no dust or mould. Get this right & you have a good outlet. The back-story of soaking each net or steaming the same all adds to the cost & time. If there are no issues or needs to mess with each slab you will have a happy owner who would pay good money not to have to do all the above.
SS

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Most farmers think if they can sell hay for £2 bale to a horse lady they are rich .

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Most farmers think if they can sell hay for £2 bale to a horse lady they are rich .

Which is a shame & not a driver to wait for that five day window where it goes from carp to good with a price tag to match.
SS

 

[Laminated]

Well I can't see how anyone can do it for less than £3 a bale. I sell at £2.50 to trade for an arctic load if I can't get it all in. But now I have a re baling system I 5ft round bale a lot of re bale

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Well I can't see how anyone can do it for less than £3 a bale. I sell at £2.50 to trade for an arctic load if I can't get it all in. But now I have a re baling system I 5ft round bale a lot of re bale

Do you have a dust extraction system? What do you use to break up the big bales? I'm interested from a practical point
SS

 

[Laminated]

Use a Richie round bale unroller which is hydraulic feeds into little baler all driven off same tractor. Just extractor is the wind or can rig up grain blowing fans but rarely needed

 

[Devil's advocate]

Well I can't see how anyone can do it for less than £3 a bale. I sell at £2.50 to trade for an arctic load if I can't get it all in. But now I have a re baling system I 5ft round bale a lot of re bale

Depends on yeild of course. But 150 bales to the acre at £3 a bale is of course £450 /acre. In my case some is cut late and grazed in the spring with ewes & lambs, some is cut early & the aftermath grazed. I'm happy at that.

Last year we had some timorthy that bulked up to 220 bales to the acre & very useful return at £660/acre. But we just sell for what we can get which starts at 50p bale for some real rubbish, £1.50 to trade to clear out decent stuff in the spring. £3.00 to £3.50 for the bulk of it slowly through the winter, choice of soft meadow, hard ryegrass or timorthy.

 

[chunky]

cherry 40 bale grab
bale sledge made by frank and graham cherry made in about 1986 ish

Can't believe there's another one! Frank Henderson is our neighbour, I always thought there was only two ever made.

It's an excellent bit of kit, yours looks in good nick.

 

[Will May]

We pay £4 for small bale delivered and loaded into barn, usually straight from the field but sometimes need a couple of hundred delivered in late spring before the new stuff arrives. Using about 3500 per year been with the same family suppliers for 10 years only had to return about 50 one year when we had bad weather and they struggled. Have had the odd batch from other suppliers, usually when a new girl starts on the yard and they say so and so does it better and cheaper which is rarely true. even though our guys ain't the cheapest, being consistently good and reliable counts for a lot..you get what you pay for.

 

[valtra]

Another key to making good hay is don't be afraid to mow it in the rain ahead of a good 4 day forecast. I have made some of my best hay this way

ive done this many many times over the years

 

[Grassman]

Can you break down the £20 for me please? I tend to agree but I put my costs at around £15

Right. Just had another go at doing costings and frightened myself. I must be adding something up wrong!
Difficult to split rent when a field is grazed then first cut then a small second cut then grazed again.
Plus reseeding and other costs should be taken into account.

 

[Grassman]

Right. Just had another go at doing costings and frightened myself. I must be adding something up wrong!
Difficult to split rent when a field is grazed then first cut then a small second cut then grazed again.
Plus reseeding and other costs should be taken into account.

Obviously some will get more than 10 bales an acre but I put it at 10 to allow for bad years and other losses.