A Farmer's Life - Weather Woes For Hay Season 2025

Working with what Mother Nature dishes out comes with the territory in farming life and this summer season has thus far offered a menu of upsets in the weather forecast game.

 

Even when you've disseminated information from several different sources you find the variety and discord of so called weather models is so major that you simply can't figure out what to do about knocking down hay. 

Sadly local news stations like WTEN, an award-winning weather reporting team that was headed by the notable Steve Caporizzo, the former Chief Meteorologist at NEWS10 before his retirement last month, doesn't seem to ever mention weather as it regards to the farmer. Despite the Upstate New York regions heavy reliance on farming businesses. Meaning, give us percentiles and chances of rain and offer more specific regional coverage especially in farming areas the Catskills region rather than always focusing on population hubs like Albany.

Many regional farmers have 'gone for it' with mixed results - working against the forecast variances and calling their own forecast. Basically desperate to get the 1st cut in to try and salvage the 2nd cut being available at all.

 

There are plenty of hay crop losses to rain, and of course many other farming enterprises are suffering with other types of crop problems too. Flooding, drought areas, fungus/insect damage due to high moisture etc. If you own horses you've likely already experienced the clover 'dribbles' with your herd, as the abundance of both red and white clover due to the heavy Spring rainfall predominates across much pastureland.

It seems that farmers are always whining about the weather. I guess it's a reasonable assessment. Growing and harvesting crops is so weather dependent it's hard not to understand the preoccupation that farmers have on the topic. 

 

No wonder then that many hay farmers choose to eliminate both the need for handling small square bales and succumb to the use of herbicides and drying agents and preservative to harvest their dry hay crop. There are tremendous changes going on with big pharma and the harvesting methods of hay going on right now, alongside a bunch of other nefarious business practices coming your way. If you want to learn more on that topic check out this blog on, "Hey - What's Happening in the Hay Herbicide World".  Chemical uses including salts, explain a lot about your horse's gut health, ulcers, leaky gut syndrome, hives, COPD and the like and what likely you are inadvertently doing to contribute to your horse's likelihood in developing these issues. 

 

It's a bit sad really. To see the smaller Mom and Pop farmers go out. Send their haying equipment off to auction and quit the business. Sell their land out for quarrying then development. But not too surprising either. Agricultural machines are expensive to buy, run and maintain. The cost of parts has almost tripled in many cases. Plus the ever rising cost of insurance, and the administrative burdens of collecting forms and tax for state governments. It's truly hard to make ends meet for many.

Labor wise many farmers find their family help all grown and flown the nest, little interested in taking on the very hard work that farming is and that they have experienced first hand.

Clearly horse barn owners running boarding businesses are struggling to make ends meet too - it's not just livestock farmers and dairy businesses. 

So - weather woes aside, the days of hay farming for the smaller enterprises are no doubt numbered. Artisan quality hay is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. 

There are simply too many clouds on the horizon.

 

It will be a very sad farewell. And for those of us who appreciate what our equine athletes need to reach their full potential, we won't have a place to turn for clean, green and non-chemical forage. And that truly is something worth whining about.

 

 

 

Canadian Hay In Your Barn??

If you buy hay from Canada to feed your livestock or in particular, horses, then you certainly know that a substantial price increase is highly likely in the coming months.  

Willowview Hill Farm, Stamford NY - Top quality horse hay organically grown and harvested in the Catskill Mountains of NY

 

Competition for hay sales from the Canadian market has always impacted U.S. farmers. At times of drought or extreme wet weather its import may have saved their bacon, but at most times the imports provide stiff competition for the farmers south of the Canadian border.

It is particularly difficult for farmers in States that are closest to this large production to compete with the imported hay that comes across the border. But it looks set for that to change.

As a New York horse hay farmer, I know keeping an eye on market forces is very important if our small farm is going to survive another year making artisan small square bales for the equine marketplace. There are many influences on hay prices and they are all set to promote higher prices as far as we can ascertain right now.

Mother Nature Can Be Kind Or Cruel

 

Aside from the imported hay competition, farms face many other rising costs. Not least of which is a 30% rise in insurance costs that has hit us again this year. Thankfully oil prices are lower. But repair costs for equipment are staggeringly high. And costs for fertilizer is even worse. As we farm organically the chemical fertilizer factor doesn't enter into our equation, but that is not true for most hay producers. Almost all round bales contain chemical preservatives too, so their expense will also need to be accounted for in the price.

Like many farmers we fix and mend what we can, but issues like a blown gear box on the discbine or a major tractor repair, can set a farmer back thousands and thousands of dollars, before the first blade of grass is even cut.

Hay equipment is expensive to buy and expensive to maintain

 

Of course, things don't break when you aren't using them, so we can expect more interruptions to hay production aside from the obvious one that is thrown at us every year by Mother Nature. The weather!

Like many, there is always the consideration to quit farming altogether. The demographic showcases that farmers are aging up and out of the business. It is sincerely hard work. And a roller-coaster experience of fighting with the weather, the machinery and the unknown factors that haunt the bottom line throughout the year can burn out even the most optimistic and hardworking individuals. It is a profession with a high injury factor and health risk too, and medical expenses are also through the barn roof for many.

So all in all I'd say take a good hold of the reins on your hay budget and expect a helluva ride. Because while we are bouncing about in the fields making hay while the sun shines, come Fall the clouds will be gathering as prices likely increase significantly. The only good news for hay farmers is that perhaps without the competition from large Canadian hay producers, they will have a shot at better margins for sales pricing overall to cover their own rising expenses.

When you see hay prices hit new highs, don't be surprised. Forewarned is forearmed. Stock up when you see good hay available on the market and buy the best quality you can to minimize waste. Don't fall prey to making false economies with poor quality horse hay that just brings a vet bill and a lot of mess to clean up come Spring. 

Come winter you'll need to be stocked up

 

 

 

Spring Checklist - Don't Forget To Spa Treat Your Barn

Spring is nearly here and with it comes a bevy of farm jobs that need to be completed before the season picks up pace.

Spring Time Is Horse Spa Time

As horse owners we all look forward to our equines' shed of winter coats and 'getting our groom on' to ensure our wee beasties are shiny and clean for the likely uptick in under saddle work. While our horses do their bit to groom each other, they do need out help!

Horses Do Need Help Shedding Winter Coats

Time to Tidy Up The Barn

 

But while tidying the barn, cleaning tack, grooming horses and preparing for the better riding weather is likely on the Spring check list, don't overlook the importance of giving your barn a Spring makeover and clean up too.

While washing down the stalls and doing a deep clean may be a few months away for those of us that enjoy the cooler North-East climate - this is a perfect time for removing dust and cobwebs (especially off light fixtures), cleaning down windows, repairing window screens for the busy bug season that is coming and making a few fence repairs.

A key area of the barn spa treatment that is often overlooked is the hay storage area. Loose hay will form a carpet in the hay storage area, and cleaning it out is a necessity if you don't want to contaminate the new hay crop when it becomes available. As your hay stock supplies are likely rapidly diminishing, the Spring is a great time to do a thorough clean out. 

Tidy Up All Areas of the Barn

 

Sure, you may have diligently raked and brushed out the space during the winter months as the haystack receded, but it is also important to go deeper. If you use tarpaulins or pallets, they need to be removed. Underneath you will likely discover evidence of rodent life. You may find a layer of mold infused moisture and composting hay that has made its way through crevices to the bottom layer. 

Once raked and cleaned, the floor beneath may have patches of dampness that will benefit from being left a few days to thoroughly dry out. A concrete floor can be vacuumed with a Shop Vac. It is always better to use a vacuum rather than broom sweep and brush dust and detritus about, for obvious reasons.

Lime can be added to dirt floor areas to soak up any odors and freshen the ground, before placing tarpaulins or pallets back. Before replacing tarpaulins wash them off and set them to dry outside in the sun to help remove any toxins from their surface. When tarpaulins are laid out flat on the ground remember to secure them to prevent a strong wind sending them airborne.

A clean hay stall or storage area is essential if you don't want to contaminate good hay. Hay is increasingly expensive, and buying good quality hay is important but so is keeping it that way.

If you store your hay supply in a large building, similar tidying up and cleaning out is necessary. 

Clean Up Time!

If you home produce hay then you have hopefully already cleaned and serviced all the equipment and brushed out the hay wagons ready for use before the winter arrived. 

Cleaning out hay wagons after each use will help them last longer!

 

Hay harvesting weather will be here before we know it, and getting ahead of the preparations is better done now rather than leaving everything to the last minute.

Hay Harvesting Time Will Soon Be Here

 

And don't forget to clean up the pasture too. Hay left sitting around hay feeders, left loose on the ground will soon become a mire of manure and mud which you will find yourself cleaning up off your horses.

 

What They Don't Eat Needs Cleaning Up

A clean and tidy pasture is all part of horse management. And when the proper Spring riding weather arrives you'll be all set to get out and ride rather than cleaning the barn.

And when it comes to restock your hay, you know you won't be wasting your new hay supplies before you even get started by having them contaminated with last year's hay.

A pasture at Willowview Hill Farm, Stamford, NY

And don't forget that buying your hay supply early in the year, especially off the wagons is a great way to save money. When supply is plentiful prices will be lower and you will also have a better choice of hay from which to select.

 

 

Experts Warn To Stock Up On Horse Hay Needs

It doesn't come as a huge shock to hay producers in the country to hear experts warning horse owners to stock up on their forage needs early this year.

 

Organically produced hay growing at Willowview Hill Farm, Stamford, NY

Take the recent press release by Coleman, University of Kentucky Extension Office -

"Coleman emphasized that hay is a mobile commodity. Although hay may be readily available in some areas, regions experiencing a shortage will require hay to be transported across the state or county,” he said. “Making hay purchasing decisions early can ensure buying at a reasonable price when the supply is abundant. Waiting until later in the feeding season might lead to reduced availability and significantly higher costs.” (read more on our news page)

 

Here in the North-East we've enjoyed the wettest July in nearly 200 years, 197 to be exact, and the 3rd wettest month in 197 years with over 11.5 inches in Upstate regions of New York. Staggering metrics for sure, and as any hay farmer knows not only has Mother Nature dished out heavy rain this growing season, she has also spent this season offering tantalizing day of sun followed by a day of rain. 

Finding horse hay of 2nd cut supply wise will be hard as quantities will necessarily be low due to the late 1st season harvest. Finding 1st cut that hasn't been wet in the field will be equally hard. 

The reality is that many farmers through sheer frustration turned to silage as a means to get hay harvested at all. While others have relied on the bevy of (untested for safe use on horses) dry-down agents and preservatives to cure hay sufficiently to prevent it causing fires, molding and dusting etc. Adding 'organic' acids does not mean that the final product can't cause horses health issues just because the word organic is in the title.

The other concern is that soaking or even steaming the hay that is infused or coated with these dry-down agents will likely not remove them from the forage. It is also good to realize that almost every large round bale of hay will have been treated in some manner to try and negate mold, dust or other issues in these so called 'ton' bales. It is simply almost impossible to bale these mammoths without their use.

Health issues that are likely to be prevalent in horses exposed to 'treated' hay crops can include hives, upper respiratory inflammation (especially in young horses), and that bane of every horse owner at this point, ulcers.

Digestive issues in the horse naturally manifest themselves in a variety of issues. Leaky gut syndrome, hind gut issues in general, lack of condition or poor behavior, muscle soreness and lameness, skin issues etc. The list goes on.

There are lots of good reasons to feed supplements to counter the effects of the negative diet and nutrition in the horse, but of course not putting the a horse's health in jeopardy in the first place would be ideal. This is trickier than it seems, as finding good quality well cured hay that is cured the old-fashioned way, by Mother Nature alone, is hard to do. When you do find it, it is likely more expensive than its counterparts and the absence of dry-down agents or preservatives does not mean it is good hay. 

Hay also needs to be clean and green, meaning clean of weeds, dust and mold and green with good color notating a proper time of harvesting and method of drying to the correct moisture content has been executed.

Many folks turn to feeding bagged, commercially produced forage made by large companies such as Standlee (Tractor Supply a likely purchasing point). If you read the print on the label and website, they do indicate that the hay they utilize has been treated with preservatives etc.

The likelihood is that hay produced to date will be quickly snapped up by hay dealers who have both the storage to hold large supplies in reserve while the market is built up to high demand and highest prices can be attained with accompanying robust profit margins. They can move the hay wherever the best price will be paid, often out of the area it was produced. 

Sadly it is not usually the farmer that reaps the profits of the hard labor it takes to produce hay. So in response, farmers across the U.S.A. have plowed many hay fields under for more profitable crops over the past several years. A practice that continues to show no sign of stopping its upward trending popularity.

The extremely high costs of fertilizer mean that yields are likely down. Utilizing 'liquid gold' cow manure or other animal manure spread on the fields after 1st cut to bring on the 2nd cut is common practice. But the organic manure will also bring with it a myriad of unwanted seeds from weedy or obnoxious plants. 

The small square, user-friendly, organically grown and harvested hay supply is ever diminishing and the reality is that as Coleman at UK quoted in his press release above, the best time to set up your hay supply is now not later. If you don't have proper storage then its wise to think about making an investment in that area too. 

 

 

 

Horse Boarding Biz Owners - What Will You Do About Hay?

It's not a fun time to be running a horse boarding biz if you operate a facility in drought stricken regions of the USA. Managing the supply chain for horse feed and forage is hard enough most years with its variances in price and quality, but 2022/2023 promises to be harder than ever.

The first challenge is to find any 2nd cut at all. Many barns utilize 2nd cut over 1st as many horse owners prefer it due to its generally higher nutritional value. Though with farmers facing fertilizer cost increases of more than 500 percent, the usual process of adding fertilizer to the hayfields directly after the 1st cut if off the fields may not be as prevalent a practice as most years. Those producers that did spend the money on fertilizer may see little result as the dry weather kicked in negating some of its benefits.

Switching to a 1st cut supply might help, as theoretically there is more 1st cut available than 2nd, but as 2022 saw an early take of 1st cut due to good weather, yields for most producers were significantly down. So supply is not as high as usual there either although in general the quality was up.

What is an operator of a horse boarding biz to do to fill the forage need for the horses in their care, custody and control?

Our article in the September issue of Catskill Horse magazine addresses the hay hassles and hustles that can help mitigate the issue. Take a look. It's well worth the read.

 

 

Many barn owners are already forewarning their clients that there will be no hay fed during turnout times this winter, but that is short sighted.

The horses will simply lose condition, begin infighting and start chewing on fences and the pasture condition whatever it currently is will suffer. A better protocol may be to add a surcharge to the boarding bill ( giving lots of advance notice), so that supplies can be purchased.

The USDA recently published a scholarly filler article that surprised this author. It basic advice was to 'stock up early'. For many horse barn owners or managers the option of stocking up early is hampered by both cash flow and storage capacity for hay supplies. Though I agree it is a solid idea if you can manage it. But the cost of hay even now as we approach Fall is steadily on the rise, and many producers are already sold out. 

Naturally the hay dealers are fully aware of the situation and are stockpiling supplies to release later in the year, when the market prices will increase due to their manipulation of supply. This happens every year of course and is nothing new. Hay supplies suddenly become available later in the year as certain quantities are released into the market but at premium prices. Those prices increasing steadily as winter progresses and 'apparent' supplies dwindle.

There is no question that the trials and tribulations of running a horse boarding operation will be harder than ever to navigate this year but folks should get used to it. Climate change is here to stay and securing supplies is only going to become harder as a result. 

The average hay farmer isn't happy either - this year will be extremely tough for many as the 2nd cut is so scarce and many farmers won't see any income for 2nd cut as a result. 

 

Meantime finding replacement parts for tractors and ancillary hay making machinery is a challenge for hay producers. For example: A simple radiator for a Ford New Holland tractor on our farm was a whopping $2600 without installation and there were only 2 available in the entire country. Installation another $1200 - $1500 was quoted by a dealer and it was to take 2 weeks to complete. 

Horses need forage and we need farmers. Don't forget to thank your local hay supplier for their efforts to keep your horses fed. Hay production is always a rough process but this year is rougher than many for many!

Keeping a Weather Eye on the Hay Market

 

 

As the snow starts to thaw and deer arrive back on the hay fields many farmers are planning their 2022 planting program. 

The steep increase in grain price means many hay farmers will think twice about keeping their fields under grass this year.

Diesel costs have skyrocketed, as have prices for fertilizer, machine parts and labor. Of course these price increases don't just affect hay, they affect grain prices too. Due to the war on Ukraine, a country that supplies 12% of the global output of grain, we will see increased in food costs not just for horses, but for people too.

Any hay reserves from 2021 have long since vanished. Despite the increased hay expenses, horse owners have little choice but to pay the premium rates especially if top quality hay is wanted. If like me you are looking for a new horse or two, it might be well to wait a bit, because the ridiculously high horse price market post the Covid pandemic is a bubble very likely to burst, as sadly people are forced to part with their horses as a result of the increased expenses of ownership.

Ulcer prevention, digestive health in general and overall mental well-being in horses are all significantly impacted if hay is replaced by products that offer less chewing satisfaction and less fiber quality and mass. 

 

At our organic horse hay farm at Willowview Hill Farm, our Catskill hills are already showing signs of Spring grass. The deer are already feasting on our crop. It's funny they go almost nowhere else in the valley to graze. I believe the organic nature of our fields is the reason why. Of course this means sharing our crop production with many 'Bambis'. Cute as they are, my husband worked out the amount of hay that one deer consumes at one point. It was a depressingly large amount from the perspective of hay income to the farm. 

 

But live and let live I suppose. I am already used to sharing any trees I plant and any shrubs or flowers I dig in to the garden with deer, voles and rabbits.

So the question becomes, should we continue to harvest hay or turn to other forage production. Especially as we have recently retired from horse breeding and simply don't need as much hay supply for our own horses. The amount of overage we sell has increased as a result, but baling small bales is a tremendous amount of work especially for my husband and myself to handle alone. 

One field of hay would easily suffice for our horses' needs. And frankly having more room to ride in the indoor arena instead of having to stack and store hay would be great.

It takes us a solid month of daily work to complete the first cut, and another 3 weeks to complete the 2nd cut. That does not account for the time it then takes to load and sell hay out of the barn throughout the year or service the equipment. Vacations, other income producing jobs such as clinic giving and horse training have to take a back seat when hay season rolls around. And you never know exactly when you'll be able to get busy on the fields so making plans to get other activities done is always a challenge.

 

 

Of course once the hay is harvested the grass fields are perfect for riding. Cantering around the outside of a field is less enticing than galloping over it. Once the grass is turned under, rocks will appear across the ground surface and if we ever want to return to hay cover then the rocks will have to be painstakingly picked up. The memory of that laborious task still lingers from 20+ years ago.

It's all fodder to ponder. 

In the U.K. fertilizer prices are up to 1300 UKL per ton. Similar increases are expected here in the U.S.A. Farmers across the country are turning to 'liquid gold' to fertilize i.e. cow manure. However, as hay farmers know, cow manure means weeds in the hay. At our farm we use horse manure to recycle and help re-balance the nutrients within the soil, along with organic mineral products such as lime.

The price of all hay will certainly increase again this year. Costs for production are ridiculously high. Horse owners are left with little choice than to pay up if they want first class hay that has been properly cured and managed.

Turns around the field don't come cheap with diesel prices at an all time high. To cure hay takes several rounds of work. The initial cut, a minimum of 3 turns between tedding and windrows and then the baling round. 

So my advice to all horse owners out there or barn managers that have to stock up for their clients' horses needs is to plan ahead. 

For boarding barn operators the hay budget won't go as far this year so boarding barns should think about increasing boarding rates now to cover the extra costs.

Sidebar: Here is a link confirming the above hay prices (focused on alfalfa production) from the USDA

 

 

 

The 2021 Hay Season Rained Out

Labor intensive small square bales at a premium

 

2021 has been a year of tremendous variance in haymaking weather for many hay farmers across the country. While the West has ridiculously hot weather, fires and parched ground, the North-East began the hay season with good weather and everything looked perfect for a great hay season.

In the Mid-Atlantic States the heavy rains in Spring brought on growth but also caused mildew issues with Bermuda grass types, leaving the Carolinas with less quality in their May cut. While in the North-East the farmers who dutifully watched the weather and started cutting as soon as the weather settled were rewarded with good quality harvests and slightly above average yields for the most part. But then the rains came and many farmers in the North-East and Eastern Canada were cut short in the 1st cut harvesting program. 

Organic horse hay at Willowview Hill Farm, Stamford, NY

 

In some North-Eastern USA regions, the daily rainfall totals have been so high and so overwhelming with their persistence, that the fields are too wet to even contemplate working at the present time. Yet, rather unusually, in certain areas such as Northern Maine and Northern New Hampshire and Northern Vermont, drought conditions have left fields of parched crop as their Spring rains never showed up.

Where rain persisted, many farmers opted to take the planned 1st cut dry hay as a silage cut, in order to hopefully maintain a decent 2nd cut yield later in the year. Due to the drought issue in Northern NE areas, hay producers in Upstate New York and Eastern Ohio are busy supplying their colleagues in those regions.

Meantime, hay commodity futures continue to escalate, as many of the usual hay producing States out West such as Idaho, as well as Northern PA, New York and New England report shortages are expected. Export hay prices are also increasing, with export levels above last year's numbers for the same period.

Top quality or premium horse hay production will obviously be negatively affected by the wet weather issues. If they have been harvested there is a likelihood knocked down hay will have at some point in time been rained upon, that necessarily lessens the nutritional value of the cut. Damaged crop may be mulched back or baled in large rounds/squares for use and sale to the cattle or general livestock market and miss the horse market altogether.

Even if the hay available is 1st cut, expect these later 1st cut supplies to be at a higher price than those available earlier in the year as a result of the high demand. Late cut 1st hay often means a lack of 2nd cut hay too, as the grasses have not had time to grow. The outcome of 2nd cut yield and quality will depend of course on the amount of rain and temperatures.

Given all the above it is a good idea to stock your barn with hay supplies sooner rather than later, or be prepared to pay higher prices again this year. Diesel prices are of course significantly higher than 2020 and many farmers are still reeling from last year's drought and lack of hay revenue as a result and have barely managed to stay financially afloat. Many having to buy in hay supplies for their own livestock instead of supplying their own.

Current prices that dealers are paying for small square 1st cut horse hay bales of premium quality in Upstate NY range from $6-$8 bale. Dealers are already scooping up supplies, having learned the lessons of last year in the supply chain. While certain areas such as Long Island, NY, NJ, PA, and the entire North-East are paying much higher prices. Some retailers paying as much as $13-14 for a small square of good quality product.

As for the availability and pricing of 2nd cut - expect that to be elevated and talk to your suppliers early. Consider buying hay out of the wagons/off the field to secure supply.

 

Buying Horse Hay? Beware of Scammers...

 As Fall is in full swing and winter rapidly approaches horse owner's thoughts turn to stocking up on hay supplies. It seems there are an abundance of scams ongoing, some new and all nefarious and many occur through social media entities such as Facebook, where folks seeking hay are 'trolled' and captured.

 

 

Here are a few tips as to what to look out for so your hard earned dollars don't disappear without quality hay 'on your table' and red flags to be aware about when resourcing a supplier.

• Know your supplier. Do your due diligence when it comes to buying hay. Obviously there are many reputable hay dealers around, but there are also many that are not and many middlemen that act in concert with certain hay dealers procuring hay supplies and customers for a commission that actually produce no hay at all themselves, or very little. It is smart to know the provenance of your hay if possible, and deal directly with the actual producer of the hay. Dealers necessarily source hay from all over the place and quality can vary considerably. At a minimum a hay seller should have a website, and a decent and transparent online presence. Be aware that middlemen often use other people's photos of hay stacks and claim them as their own, when really they have no such production or supply on hand.
• Don't pay in advance. The latest trend of taking/requesting 'bookings' and requiring a deposit or prepayment is a great way for dealers to garner cash from prospective customers to provide cash flow to their business. How do you know you will even see the hay? There have been recent arrests ( finally) of a person in VT that regularly took money from unsuspecting horse owners for loads of hay in advance of delivery for many years, and never turned up with any hay supply. If you prepay you also have no idea what quality will be provided or when it will arrive. Pay on delivery.
• Check the load. Dealers may tail load with good hay, so that on initial inspection the load looks good and you say go ahead and unload it. Halfway through the load may be a different quality from a different source. Check it throughout and ask the dealer if the hay has all come from the same producer.
• Watch out online. There are many folks that pose as prospective consumers or direct growers when really they are middlemen looking to either pick up a load and add their margin, or are resourcing prospective customers for larger hay dealers. Larger hay dealers may even drop a trailer at one of their 'sales agents' and ask them to fill it by finding a source of hay, and then call on it when they get a call for someone in the area needing a hay supply. Thus your hay may have sat in a metal tin for a while before you see it. Not good for the hay!

• Stay loyal. When you find a good resource to buy hay stick with it. Understand that prices may nominally increase year to year as all farmers' experience cost increases annually in producing the hay. Insurance, fuel, equipment leasing, buying and maintenance, costs to fertilize fields either organically or with chemicals, re-seeding of fields etc. 
  
• If you are looking for horse quality hay, buy from someone who knows horses and what their needs are. Properly cured horse hay, grown for horses without weeds i.e. clean and green, will cost more than cow hay.

 

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Sadly there are many unscrupulous people out there. Be smart, do your homework, call and ask questions, Google them, review websites and social media posts. 

Don't part with your cash until you have seen the hay in person and are happy with it!

Why Does Horse Hay Cost So Much?

Hay season is in full swing and the hot and dry weather has many farmers happy with their well stocked hay barns full of delicious cured 1st cut.

While some farmers use preservatives and chemicals to cure their hay, many horse owners prefer hay that is cured the old-fashioned way, Mother Nature. The problem with preservatives and chemicals that are sprayed by either the cutter or the baler onto the hay is that many of these products, if indeed not all, have never been tested for safety in horses. Many have never been tested for safety in cows or other livestock either. However, the quicker baling turnaround time means less time spent turning/raking hay and less machine hours that use expensive diesel and add to the labor costs.

For those of us who make hay the old-fashioned way, we need to wait for at least three good days of clear, sunny weather with temperatures at a minimum in the high 70's. Cloudy days may slow down the curing process, although a strong breeze can dry hay nicely if the hay is already in windrows.

The haymaking process involves maintaining all the equipment and the capital costs of that equipment are high. When things need repairing parts are also expensive. A new gear box for a discbine for example can cost upwards of $2000, a new tire for a 100 horse power tractor over $2000! You get the idea. 

For the hay season much diesel will be required to run all the equipment, and the baler must be kept stocked with twine, which sells for about $30 for two spools. When you are baling hay, that cost adds up quickly.

The operator of the equipment must be well versed in handling large equipment often in tight spaces, know the complex process of levers and how to set up windrows, keep the baler feeding correctly with the proper groundspeed and know all the methods of setting up the equipment safely. Plus be prepared to jump out and handle any mechanical difficulties that might arise. Equipment only breaks when you are using it after all. Hours and hours of driving time are involved, and so labor costs also add up quickly.It is not uncommon to be driving from morning until dew time in the summer, in order to get the crop in when Mother Nature provides the opportunity with her sunny rays.

So the hay will be 'knocked down' or cut, then after the surface of the cut hay  has dried off it will be tedded or turned with a tedder/rake, usually within 24 hours. This procedure will be repeated on the 3rd day and if the hay is cured enough ( to less than 14% moisture content) it will be raked into windrows and baled. Of course those bales don't stack themselves, so if small squares are involved, which are the favorite type of hay for horse owners as they minimize risk of bacteria, (botulism especially), are easy to handle and to stack, someone has to unload those wagons and safely stack the hay. A conveyor is usually used, and the labor of throwing all that hay is hard work, even for the strongest of workers. So again, more labor cost is added to the cost of the hay.

Now to selling the hay. While word of mouth can be very productive, the farmer still has to advertise his hay for sale. Advertising costs money and time to keep the advertisements up to date. When the buyer arrives, the farmer now has to provide labor to load the hay onto the truck. If the farmer delivers, then naturally the hay will have to be stacked and transported and in many cases even stacked at the recipient's barn. The return leg of that delivery running empty will still cost the farmer fuel and of course this whole exercise takes time.

Throughout this process hay may be lost to errant bad weather. The hay will still need to be picked up and then thrown out or mulched back in which requires another machine and more machine time to go over the entire crop and break it down. Drought may impede the hay crop growth and leave the farmer short on quantity, and as a result you may see hay prices increase.

As you can see making hay requires a lot of hard work, is time consuming and as it is always hot weather when it takes place very often the producers are working in very high temperatures which may easily exceed 100 degrees in the barns when stacking high up.

The job is not without risk either. Insurance costs are expensive and the risk of injury or death is high, despite the best safety practices. Equipment malfunctions, a fall or bad step, tumbling hay can easily knock you off your feet and cause knee injuries, hands or clothing caught in equipment, rolling or falling equipment. The list goes on...

Between cuts the fields also need some care and attention. At our farm at Willowview Hill in Stamford, New York, we farm organically so we add manure to our fields to build back nutrients into the soil. From time to time we may add other natural products such as lime, to keep the soil in good health.

Other farmers use chemical fertilizers. Whatever is used it adds more expense. 

At our farm we also edge our fields by mowing them out twice a year, to ensure there is no encroachment on the professionally seeded hayfields of neighboring plants, weeds or tree saplings. If we have a tree come down, it is blocked and used for firewood and the remnants picked up and then the area is hand raked. No-one wants twigs in their hay or weeds either.

So next time your hay provider tells you they need an extra 25 cents a bale, think about it in a positive light. Farmers struggle to make ends meet as it is, and hay is not going to become any cheaper as land is swallowed up for development and farm space is lost. The day will surely come when small squares  of hay are simply too labor intensive to make and you'll need to buy special equipment yourself to handle the oversize round bales, invest in special feeders that will hopefully not injure your horses, get used to the wastage large round bales incur and push and lug the big rounds into your specially built barn. There won't be any opportunity to put them in a hay mall! Though you may end up storing them in plastic outside, which can cause a myriad of other problems with the preservatives and chemicals required.

Horse Hay Woes

If you buy in a new hay supply and you find your horse is messing the hay about in the stall, you might automatically blame the quality of the hay.

While your horse's reluctance to eat the new 'batch' may indeed be due to a poorer quality product than he is used to enjoying, it is also true that he could just be letting you know that he is not happy that you've switched hay type or source.

For example, if you have a yearling Thoroughbred colt that you have been feeding an alfalfa/grass blend 2nd cut hay, then you introduce a good quality 2nd cut hay but he ignores the new hay and instead paws through it and won't eat at all or at best picks through it, then he is certainly complaining.

A horse does have an innate ability to 'complain' but in truth he is probably just protecting himself from a significant change in diet and the dire results such as colic, that could result.
His actions do not necessarily mean there is anything wrong with the new hay, just that it is not as palatable as the hay he previously ingested.

When a hay dealer or hay farmer delivers hay to your farm, stacks it for you and then takes a check in payment, it is important that you don't rush to judgement on the hay he has provided just because your horse is taking a while to adjust to the new provisions and rashly stop pay the check. Especially if the hay previously fed was full of yummy alfalfa. Give your horse a few days to adjust and always blend the new hay in with the old over several days to give your horse a chance to acclimatize to the new menu. Believe me he will adjust!

Similarly a horse that has become used to soft 2nd cut hay will turn his nose up at 1st cut which will provide more 'chewing satisfaction' but is likely not as sweet or soft to eat.

Always restock your hay supplies before you finish the last few bales so that you can blend the different types/sources of hay together for a period. This may prevent not just an upset with your hay vendor but also may save your horse from a colic episode. The equine gut needs time to adjust to the new digestive requirements especially by production of certain bacteria in the gut, to digest the new hay.