This really burns me up!

[Keith in NW MO]

Look at the first ad on this page. That is unbelievable that someone thinks they have a right to have hay sold(given to them) cheap as they did in past years. I just spent today pricing fertilizer so I am probably venting a little. The price of this hay only has anywhere to go but up.
Tell me am I wrong should I not deserve a profit and not have to apoligize for it.
To tell you the truth I'm not sure I will be able to make one in the future. What does everyone else think.
Thank you for your time.
Untitled URL Link

 

[jose bagge]

As a "horse farmer", I'm frankly embarrassed by folks like this- it shows complete ignorance. These folks don't seem to realize that business is about relationships- I commited to $4.50 a bale waaaay back in the Spring before anyone knew what was in store, and my hay guy set aside 800 bales for me at that price. it could have gone either way then- but we shook on it, and that was that. I read a little further- folks willing to pay $4.50 a square and $45 a round? Right- that was spring price before anyone knew! Out here, it's $9 a square and $80 for rounds now, and you're damn glad to get them.
It's your right to charge what the market will bear- just as it's my right to raise board. Hopefully, you'll take care of those that stick with you through thick n' thin, just as my guy took care of me and I'm (trying) to take care of my boarders. When the hay farmers are gone- the hay will be gone too!

 

[Bob Huntress]

Because I raise goats, I don't require grade A hay. Any grass has will be fine. If any of you are selling hay below $5.50 a square bale in west Tenn, drop me an e-mail.

 

[Tradititonal Farmer]

Wonder if they expect the local gas station or grocery store to sell to them for the same price
as a couple years ago?Inflation is back like we haven't seen since the late 70's might as well get used to it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Man complains about everything except his BOOZE he will pay and keep buying !!! Every hay farmer should receive top dollar just as the grocery stores DO !!!

 

[Anonymous-0]

Wonder if you complain about milk prices in the store. as my father, a dairy farmer is not getting near for his milk what the grocery store does. wouldn't you like to get milk for .99 a gallon again.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Dunno. Hay is still $3 and under for grass here, so there ain't to many scams going on. I do know of a couple guys who bought straw last year at $1.50 a bale just because the knew they could sell it in the city for $5 a bale.
Somebody has to make a profit on stuff....

 

[paul]

Link doesn't work for me?

Hay seems to be selling for $2 - 3 a bale here. Less in baling season.

I grow corn, 5 years ago livestock fellas laughed and said they don't need to grow corn when they can buy it from me for less than it costs to grow it. Sucks to be me doesn't it, oh well, we'll just keep buying your corn for nothing.

So bunch of farmers here in MN built ethanol plants with their own money. And the global ecconomy has changed, other countries need & can pay good money for my corn.

Now the livestock fella is crying to the govt, shouldn't be any support for ethanol, grain prices are too high, we can't afford to feed our critters.....

Who should feel sorry for whom?

Don't get me wrong, I raise livestock too, if these grain prices go higher or don't drop a bit in time we will lose a lot of livestock, and then my corn will be worthless again.

Me, I think we need each other.

Some grain fellas want more more more, waiting for higher prices.

That ain't gonna work either.

We all need each other.

Some don't get that.

Not nice to laugh at each other - tables will turn....

--->Paul

 

[Nancy Howell]

I can see this from both ends. Last year we got 3 round bales off our 8 acre hay field because of the drought in Tx. We had spent hundreds on re-seeding half of it, plus fertilizer. So I am well aware of the cost of growing good quality hay. I had been buying squares from the same person for over 4 yrs because our hayfield was leased. He ran out completely and I went to rounds. Last year I was paying $125 a round in the Dallas area. I've known the owner of the feed store for many years and she told me the reason the hay jumped from $100 to $125 was the person her broker had purchased (on a hand shake) a large quantity of hay from, decided to ignore the hand shake and demanded more. I don't begrudge anyone a fair profit and we all know its getting harder to make our farms profitable, but gouging because you can is wrong and you, in turn, will be gouged someplace down the line.

 

[TVB]

It's called capitalism if you don't like the price go somewhere else, business owners have the right to chase away all the costumers they want, or maybe if you can't afford the horse you could call Elmer's, however they won't pay the price your asking either!

 

[jose bagge]

Sure wish we had some of those $3 bales out here. Folks are trucking it in from PA and selling it for $8-$9.
Made my wife ALMOST think I was smart for buying up the $4.50 bales...

 

[David in MD]

It doesn"t bother me so much but she has to realize that hay competes with corn, soybeans, and wheat for land and inputs and everything is up. If she wants to keep horses that"s the price she"ll have to pay. I held the line on hay prices for my regular customers, those that had bought hay from me exclusively and never complained about the price I"ve asked. If someone only bought from me infrequently when they couldn"t find cheaper hay they have to pay market price or go elsewhere.

 

[Leland]

she is only 20 miles from St Louis ,from what I hear those people down there are getting gouged pretty good right now

 

[Keith in NW MO]

If its to high don't buy it. If you can't find it cheaper then that, must be the market price currently. That's what the fuel people tell me, the fertilizer plant tells me, the seed people etc. What is gouged pretty good mean? Don't tell me about gouging. You wait till next year if you think this is bad. Hay ferilizer near $100 per acre, that cost alone could be $1 to $2 per bale for small square's. She doesn't deserve to buy it one cent cheaper than production costs plus a nice profit, period.

 

[Leland]

I agree but I have heard some people down there paying 12-15.00 per bale for horses to me thats goughing but it's also what the market will bear .

 

[Anonymous-0]

There is two sides to everything. That ad that burns you up so much was probably placed by someone that had to deal with one of the clowns that like the phrase "don't complain about the high price of gas that you are putting in your SUV, speedboat, etc". Gas costs the same no matter what you put it in. Same as hay should cost the same whether it's being fed to a Holy Cow or a crowbait horse. The cost should be set IAW production cost and quality of the grass. Most people follow this and I salute them. The ones that don't will fess up sooner or later. Don't get me wrong, there are some real clowns that have horses also. Just wish there was a way of matching clown for clown and let the rest come to an honest deal. I am in a different situation here than you folks I guess, and by reading these posts, see that I am really fortunate. I can buy grain directly from the farmer (if I buy everything at harvest time and store it) from 6 different people within 100 yards of my house. Most of the hay I need is less than $2 a bale with me helping and unloading myself ( would be free for the taking if I had the equipment and help) and within a mile of my place. What I need to buy is subject to factors, but I've been lucky so far. There is not the transport expenses that you folks have to deal with. And there is more sugarbeets than you can shake a stick at, so if hay gets out of hand, beetpulp is a steady price and straw is real reasonable.

Dave