Baling straw

[cowman]

Lots of straw!...and also lots of chickweed! I guess the weather was just right or something but it sure had a good year.
Now chickweed can make baling straw a challenge for sure but it also adds a bit of green(and I assume a bit of feed value)?
Some very good straw coming off the fields right now and I assume the price is right? When I see some of this black old hay sitting in bales I wonder if maybe the straw might be better for feed and the hay for bedding? Straw and barley have got to be a winning feed combination this year as compared to that old black hay? I suspect some of this feed barley is going to find it difficult to find a home at even less than $2 a bushel?

[rain]

Cow man why do you think feed barley is going to stay at or uner $2.00?

[cswilson]

Not going to get in a big panic here as straw is priced almost the same as hay right now-lots of hay available for .02 a pound. Rumour has it that crop insurance is going to make guys combine all this frozen crop instead of baling it-talk about an exercise in futility.

[cowman]

rain: give me some good news? That is just what I am hearing and it makes a lot of sense to me? Lots of cruddy barley and not very many(paying?) customers?
Please give me some hope as I am sitting on a few bushels?

[cswilson]

Cowman with all these cheap heifer calves floating around this fall I think I know where the barley could go-I think they're the property to own this fall.

[rain]

cowman I thought you grew malt barley. Want some good news its harvest time every producer and buyers of grains in western canada thinks there is going to be a billion tonnes of feed grains. My favourite saying is "Things are never as bad or good as everyone thinks." By the time we get done the harvest we will find we have three distinct types of feed grains and there will be three types of markets.

We sold feed barley for $3.00/bushel FOB bin

[cowman]

No rain I don't grow any barley! I have a cousin who rents my crop land on a share basis and he refuses to have anything to do with the CWB...which I totally agree with!
The fact is on this good land he probably does just as good most years selling into the feed market? When the day comes that he doesn't have to deal with the CWB, he could grow excellent malt barley...and for that matter milling wheat! He is a very good farmer...good yields and a good marketer. He just hates the CWB!
Now I don't know where you could possibly be getting $3 for feed barley this year but hey all the power to you!

[Cathy]

I am in Ontario. Just got off the phone with a local farmer who wants 8.50 for a feed bag full of barley. approx 100 lbs.
So tell me how much weight wise is a bushel. Should I do some more shopping????

[cowman]

Cathy: standard weight for a bu. of barley is 48 lbs. so you are paying in the $4.25/bu. range. Talked to a farmer yesterday who delivered good heavy barley to a local feedmill for $2.04! Of course your local farmer has the cost of the bag and the expense of bagging it, right? So maybe that price is justified? After all if MacDonalds can take a quarter pound of hamburger worth probably 25 cents add 10 cents worth of potatoes and a 15 cent bun and charge you $6, I guess he is letting you off cheap!

[Cathy]

Thanks Cowman
I am supplying the bags. LOL
He is going by the feedmill price which is 9.95 for 88 Kg.
While looking for corn and oats will check the price of barley elsewhere.
But must realize its farmer helping farmer.

[cowman]

Well Cathy, 88 kilograms is 194 lbs. so the feedmill deal is definitely better! Works out close to that $2.50/bu figure instead of $4.25/bu your neighbor is charging you! Maybe your neighbor should go into the packing business, as he seems to have the right attitude about screwing his fellow man?