Ever wonder what one of those big ‘ole round bales weighs and costs?
I wondered too. So I checked with the USDA Market News “Compared to last week ending August 21st, Alfalfa was steady this week and excellent movement was seen across the state. Demand for Alfalfa was moderate this week on moderate offerings. Grass hay experienced much of the same movement volumes as alfalfa. The western half of the state continues to remain in extreme drought and this region continues to see the best demand for both grass and alfalfa. Wildfires continue to cause smoky, hazy conditions for much of the central and eastern half of the state.
This has forced many producers to watch the forecast very closely as hay drying times have increased drastically. All prices are dollars per ton and FOB unless otherwise noted.” What does FOB mean? Well it is a shipping term which stands for “Free On board”. Basically meaning that once your hay leaves the seller’s field or barn all the liability during transport is the buyers responsibility. Leaving the seller “Free” of the responsivity once it is loaded on your truck trailer or another hauler. Now the price you have to pay hinges on how much those bales weigh. I found that there are a few different sizes that are made depending on the bailer. Some large rounds can be as much as 1700 pounds for a bale that is 5 feet wide and 6 feet long to as light as 450 pounds for one that is loosely packed and only 4 feet by 4 feet. So the question of how much does it cost depends on the size. It is kinda like asking “how long is a piece of string”?
Obviously buying in bulk is cheaper than by the piece as indicated when calling one local feed store. Today a single small bale is $10.90. The USDA Market News indicates that the big rounds can be gotten for $120-125 per ton. And those small bales, well the go for as much as $200 – 225 per ton. Feeding those sheep, horses and cattle has sure become expensive. I am glad that is not on my morning agenda anymore. I have moved on from those early mornings in the cold and snow out in the barn and replaced them with blissful sleep. •
