Craigslist Montana Hay For Sale (2024)

FAQs

What is 1 ton of hay worth? ›

The average breakeven price of hay among farms in the 2022 AHVP was $111.88/ton. Breakeven prices ranged from $82.72/ton to $160.99/ton. It is recommended that farms get accurate estimates for bale weights and price hay on a per-ton basis.

"Because of this, we lack much (hay) volume right now," Leslein said. Normally only the dairy-quality hay would be bringing top dollar, but with an overall lack of hay supply, all hay is bringing big money. So, both alfalfa and grass hay, top quality and lesser quality, are bringing the same amount, he said.

Dairy hay is the most expensive hay. It is bright green and leafy. Its protein levels range anywhere from 22 to 26 percent. Such hay is not suitable for horses.

Here's one example for pricing a field of standing alfalfa (or grass hay) in 2020. uncertain dairy/livestock markets due to the ongoing pandemic. to environmental conditions and harvest management practices. In this example, the sale or purchase price for all cuttings the entire year would range from $435 to $700/acre.

Bales of hay vary in size from 40 to 2,000 pounds. A three-string bale weighs around 100 pounds, and there are approximately 20 three-string bales in a ton. Round bales weigh 850 to 1,100 pounds, and there are 2.4 to 1.8 round bales per ton.

Buy in Bulk: A large shipment of hay is nearly always cheaper than multiple smaller ones because of transport costs. If you have the storage space, purchase all the hay you'll need for a year at one time. If you don't have the space, consider purchasing a year's worth of hay, but taking delivery in stages.

The highest average January alfalfa hay prices were reported in New Mexico ($270 per ton) and Texas ($268). Pennsylvania followed at $255 while California checked in at $250 per ton. North Dakota easily remains the lowest at $122 per ton. It was followed by Montana at $160 per ton and Nevada at $165.

If the hay was of good-quality when harvested and stored in a dry place with sufficient airflow, hay is likely suitable for consumption for two to three years. Keep in mind that hay, even premium forage, loses much of its vitamin content in the first few months of storage.

For horses that need to gain weight, are working hard, or have higher nutritional requirements, the richer second cut hay might be a better choice. However, for horses that gain weight easily or need to lose a few pounds, the first cut hay, with its higher fiber content and fewer calories, can be more suitable.

What hay is best for older horses? ›

Alfalfa Hay:

Higher in protein, calcium, and energy than grass hays, alfalfa can be an excellent choice for older horses, especially those needing to gain weight or those with higher protein requirements.

Depending on your geographic location, weather and how many cuts per year you make, a single acre of land should net you anywhere from 8 to 14 tons of alfalfa hay per year. So for 5 tons, even a half acre should get you there most years.

With an average bale weight of around 40 pounds (with our Abbriata small square baler or any of our mini round balers), that's 100 bales to the acre for a first cutting. Our farm aside, we can offer some guidelines to consider when trying to predict the productivity of your hay fields.

At 65lbs per bale (which can vary significantly, but whatever), that's about 77 bales. So for 100 acres that's about 7700 bales or about 250 tons of dry hay.

Step 1: Take 2000 divided by the average bale weight. This will give you the number of bales per ton. Step 2: Take the number you calculated from step one and multiply that by the price per bale and that will give you the price per ton.

The number of bales in a ton of hay vary depending on the type of grass and its moisture content. But as a general rule, dried grass hay bales weight about 50 pounds, and alfalfa hay bales weight nearly twice as much. So a ton of hay is usually between 20 to 40 bales of hay.

“You are going to get more than three years out of that, but if we use three years, that's about $100 per acre per year,” Brown says. “If you are getting $125 per ton for quality hay, you are going to see a profit of $51 per ton, or $204 per acre. “The potential is there to make some pretty good money on hay.”