Hay prices

[norwestalta]

Originally Posted by bison

yes they will, the only thing they don't really like is alfalfa ,clover and slough grass but they will eat it as hay.

Should be able to find some fescue bales. Lots of guys combining now

[Y2K]

I`ve heard 200 per bale for first cut and 300 per bale for second cut.

[crownb]

Originally Posted by Y2K

I`ve heard 200 per bale for first cut and 300 per bale for second cut.

I have not heard quite that high yet, but if it's so the math doesn't add up anymore.

[Y2K]

Originally Posted by crownb

I have not heard quite that high yet, but if it's so the math doesn't add up anymore.

I know but heard from a couple people in my area.

[crownb]

Originally Posted by Y2K

I know but heard from a couple people in my area.

What area are you from?

[bison]

Originally Posted by Y2K

I`ve heard 200 per bale for first cut and 300 per bale for second cut.

That is insane!

[Y2K]

Originally Posted by crownb

What area are you from?

Vauxhaul

[bison]

Originally Posted by norwestalta

Should be able to find some fescue bales. Lots of guys combining now

Combined fescue has less protein than oat straw, + they'll compact on it, same with canola straw

[cowmanbob]

Originally Posted by bison

Combined fescue has less protein than oat straw, + they'll compact on it, same with canola straw

I've fed thousands of bales of combined fescue without problems.

[Secret coulee]

Originally Posted by bison

Combined fescue has less protein than oat straw, + they'll compact on it, same with canola straw

I could not argeee with you any more.and I guess when hay prices are at a minimal this excites many because of its value.but on a year of this drought value it will really excite many with the price of average protein hay letalone quality feed.many people have always fed fescue but usually grind it with a quality feed.hat to say it but protein through the winter months creates energy for you cattle for overall well being and being easy keepers and survival that will inturn put back into the calf thats in the oven.you feed garbage well guess what.

[norwestalta]

With the hay situation is anyone switching their calving time to May or later

[Smokinyotes]

I moved my cows back to April may calving back in 2008. Sure lessons the work load after calving in January for 25 years.

[norwestalta]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

I moved my cows back to April may calving back in 2008. Sure lessons the work load after calving in January for 25 years.

Absolutely. To late now for you to bump her back to green grass time.

[crownb]

Originally Posted by norwestalta

With the hay situation is anyone switching their calving time to May or later

We have been calving May 10-15 for 10'years now, best decision ever, no calving problems, and no frozen ears, just go out in the morning and count calves.

[TUFFBUFF]

Originally Posted by cowmanbob

I've fed thousands of bales of combined fescue without problems.

Fescue really is not a problem to maintain an animal for periods of time, unless weather gets real cold, they can't eat enough to make heat and will explode so to speak. It has low digestability and energy value.
I prefer Timothy straw as it has decent energy value, then brome straw.

I've heard hay leaving this county at 160/bale plus trucking. My buddy was happy finding some at 70 in the field. I'm grabbing some at 110/short tonne delivered so far from my long time supplier. and planning on landing some more timothy straw. I need 500 tonnes.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by cowmanbob

I've fed thousands of bales of combined fescue without problems.

Fed it to horses one year, cause that's all that was available, had a bunch of impaction colics. Wouldn't do it again. combined grasses are mature and have little nutrition.

Grizz

[cowmanbob]

Definatly not suitable horse feed. For cattle I fed 10lbs alfalfa, free choice fescue straw and powdered limestone mixed in the with the mineral for some extra calcium.

[blgoodbrand1]

Originally Posted by cowmanbob

Definatly not suitable horse feed. For cattle I fed 10lbs alfalfa, free choice fescue straw and powdered limestone mixed in the with the mineral for some extra calcium.

We have fed tens of thousands of fescue straw bales. Cows like it and some of it is actually fairly green and palatable.
Not recommended as horse feed.
We also feed hundreds of tons of fescue screenings. Can't figure it out but the cows love that stuff.
In times like these a guys gotta make things work or you'll be done.

[cowmanbob]

In my experience fescue straw is a bit better than brome straw and timothy straw as being the worst

[TBark]

Got only 123 big rounds on our 100 open acres this summer east of Valleyview. Oh well.
We got double that last year, but that was an exceptionally good year.
Average has been 140 big rounds. 6 ' timothy brome mix rounds, near 1400 lb.

TBark

[bison]

Crops are sure poor around here.
I baled up 1/2 section of pea straw(free for the taking),..I got 96 rounds out of it...6-7 bales an hr. 35' cut....18" swath
I have another section to do that is slightly better by the looks of it.

Lots of work but it sure beats paying $150 + for a bale of hay

[norwestalta]

Neighbor has 80 bales and is asking $85 in the field.
The guy I sold my hay to and rent pasture to was figuring 600lb calves be $2100. If that's true $150 hay might not be to bad.

[bison]

I think this one is a better deal.

I got last week 230 two year old grass hay bales delivered to my yard for $25/bale incl trucking.

Bison meat bulls fetch $5.25/lb on the rail

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by bison

I think this one is a better deal.

I got last week 230 two year old grass hay bales delivered to my yard for $25/bale incl trucking.

Bison meat bulls fetch $5.25/lb on the rail

And that's why I don't feel guilty selling a round of reed canary for $100

[pa_of_6]

I do believe that there will be lots of cheap feed come jan-feb

Lots of the old farmers are going to liquidate their herds. Cattle prices are good and there is no way they will part with 150$ a bale to feed cows.
Especially with no guarantee on what next year will bring in the rain clouds.

And there are the crops that will be baled up because there isn't any grain in it.

Then there is the pencil on paper that tells me that feed grain and straw pencil out a whole lot cheaper than hay.

Folks in panic mode will pay panic prices, and I understand that.
But there are creative ways to winter a cow.

I personally bought and silage 150 acres of standing barley to cover my shortage.

My hay crop is about half of what I need.
I figure I will keep my hay and feed out all the silage to cut my risks on next years possible drought.

I am gambling on keeping all my livestock and even expanding it in hopes of a payday next fall.

Just cannot see any cattle left in alberta after this.

Last drought had the low prices of the BSE kinda force fellas into keeping their livestock.

We were buying fescue at 75$ a bale landed in our yard to feed to the bison that were worth 50$ if you could sell them.

Didn't make sense, set back the operation bigtime (Bought them bison 3 years earlier at 4500$ per head) but kinga caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

So I figure that after the sell off of livestock and the alternate feed supplies landed in the feed yards, the gold plated hay will be sitting.


Just a thought.

Sad thing is I can sell my hay for more than it cost me to get all that silage landed on my yard....and still have enough money to go on a pretty nice winter vacation.

tempting.....

[NCC]

I would buy barley at $0.10/lb before I paid $0.12/lb for hay.

Our barley and peas came on with the later rain. We also chopped our hay in late June and the second cut of red clover will yeild 3 times what the first cut did.

We free choice our cows on straw (timothy, fescue, barley, oats, canola) with no problems. We also give them access to water, may be difference they're licking snow.

[ForwardBias]

I know a guy that just bought 230 rounds at 14 cents a pound. Up from 8 cents a pound last year. I'm cheering for the boys to get a better second cut but it's not looking so good.

[Smokinyotes]

I sold some barley green feed bales the other day for $70/bale delivered. I realize I probably could easily have got a lot more but a lot of guys are just gouging. I started baling second cut alfalfa today and it's going about 1.5 bales/acre.