Hay Buyers Phoning Around?

[sumdumguy]

If it doesn’t start raining soon, hay could be at a premium.

[Taiga]

If it doesn’t start raining soon, hay could be at a premium.

Hope so, I will have a few thousand big rounds.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

If any hay buyers come looking for sympathy this year because we have a drought, they won't get any sympathy from me. This winter has been a once in probably 10 year event to be able to stock up on hay at way below even the cost of production. I have one neighbor buying everything he can get cheap enough and carrying it over.
No excuse not to be doing so for anyone else.
And if it stays this dry, the bales will still be in perfect shape, almost no rain on them since they were put up, very little snow. Ideal conditions to store bales an extra year.

[makar]

If any hay buyers come looking for sympathy this year because we have a drought, they won't get any sympathy from me. This winter has been a once in probably 10 year event to be able to stock up on hay at way below even the cost of production. I have one neighbor buying everything he can get cheap enough and carrying it over.
No excuse not to be doing so for anyone else.
And if it stays this dry, the bales will still be in perfect shape, almost no rain on them since they were put up, very little snow. Ideal conditions to store bales an extra year.

Hay buyers are the reason i stopped selling hay.

[GDR]

Hay buyers are the reason i stopped selling hay.

I agree but at the same time hay sellers are just as bad. One farmer will undercut the neighbors price below cop just to make a sale. And then the other end of the spectrum is the guys gouging neighbors in a tough spot needing feed. My theory has been I need a certain dollar value per acre and translate that to a per pound or bale price.

[makar]

I agree but at the same time hay sellers are just as bad. One farmer will undercut the neighbors price below cop just to make a sale. And then the other end of the spectrum is the guys gouging neighbors in a tough spot needing feed. My theory has been I need a certain dollar value per acre and translate that to a per pound or bale price.

Not like that here.

[Old Cowzilla]

No extra hay around these parts for years so most guys happy if they find any at any price. Most guys grow corn now to cover feed supply whether buy grazing or silage. Dairy guys only ones with major hay ground acres now.

[FarmJunkie]

Have some Timothy left for sale but no one interested yet

[woodland]

Ma Nature has been known to get temperamental here at times. There’s 15,000 tons of silage tucked away here as an insurance policy. Takes the stress away from times like these. Might be starting field work before the end of the month.............. I guess we better get the disk fixed up. Never contemplated let alone done it in March. No runoff at all here. Normally dealing with snowdrifts and or mud instead of dust this time of year. Fun times.

It is what it is. 😉

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Ma Nature has been known to get temperamental here at times. There’s 15,000 tons of silage tucked away here as an insurance policy. Takes the stress away from times like these. Might be starting field work before the end of the month.............. I guess we better get the disk fixed up. Never contemplated let alone done it in March. No runoff at all here. Normally dealing with snowdrifts and or mud instead of dust this time of year. Fun times.

It is what it is. 😉

You might just have the opportunity of a lifetime to custom feed cows next winter.

Earliest Dad ever got in the field was April 10th, late 70's I think. harrowing a hillside, neighbor saw that and had to do one better, so he went cultivating and got royally stuck. April 10 has sounded like a pipe dream for as long as I can remember. Never turned a wheel in April in my time. Could easily happen this year.
That said, it is snowing as I type.

[Sheepwheat]

You might just have the opportunity of a lifetime to custom feed cows next winter.

Earliest Dad ever got in the field was April 10th, late 70's I think. harrowing a hillside, neighbor saw that and had to do one better, so he went cultivating and got royally stuck. April 10 has sounded like a pipe dream for as long as I can remember. Never turned a wheel in April in my time. Could easily happen this year.
That said, it is snowing as I type.

2010. I harrowed a sprayed out hayfield on April 29th. Earliest I was ever in the field. It was a bit tacky in the low spots, but not too bad. Was thinking it would be seedable by May 10th ish. Then it started raining and never quit. Close to four FEET of rain that summer. Seeded zero acres. How’s that for irony?

Since then I always chuckle when ppl say end of March they’re starting seeding May fifth no matter what. Here you can never throw a dart at the calendar or even guess when you might start until the day you get out there! Lol

[woodland]

You might just have the opportunity of a lifetime to custom feed cows next winter.

Earliest Dad ever got in the field was April 10th, late 70's I think. harrowing a hillside, neighbor saw that and had to do one better, so he went cultivating and got royally stuck. April 10 has sounded like a pipe dream for as long as I can remember. Never turned a wheel in April in my time. Could easily happen this year.
That said, it is snowing as I type.

Got rain and sleet here today. Custom feeding cows sounds great but then there’s no backup feed for next winter. Lived through a drought from 2001-4 here and hauled feed from 500km north and vowed to never do that again.

Bring on spring............... whenever and whatever form it is. We’re the most prepared in the fieldwork department compared to the last five years and it feels amazing. 🍀

March 18 2020



Monday

[Taiga]

Feb 27, 2016, unreal conditions. Normal is several feet of snow and -20.

[woodland]

Feb 27, 2016, unreal conditions. Normal is several feet of snow and -20.

February is crazy..........
Taiga what are conditions like now for you? The bottom picture of mine was a quarter that we cleared last winter and burnt the piles last month. Disked it twice last fall and probably a couple more times this spring then it’s going to canola. Aiming to straight cut up high to avoid the roots left behind since we don’t pick them. A lot of work to make fields out of bush as your pics show too. 🍀

[Taiga]

Snowed 10cm over the last 24hrs, a lot of snow in the bush (2 feet) and field edges but fields themselves were bare ground prior to this snow storm. Was wet last fall, no drought fears here. If we get no further precip until June, I will be happy.