Saturday, May 19, 2012

Another bad hay year?

We (well, Paul) picked up six large round bales of hay this morning.  The guy we got it from said that he only got 147 bales out of one hundred acres.  He usually gets over 300 bales.

This is not good.


Last year, as anyone with grass and hay munching animals knows, was a devastating year for hay.  Although we had an "OK" hay season, most of our hay went down to Texas where there were horrible drought conditions.  And as the hay prices here are truly based upon supply and demand, that meant that even though we had hay, most of it went to Texas where it was being sold for insane amounts of money.  That also drove up the prices here.  The last crappy (and I mean C.R.A.P.P.Y.) bale of hay we bought at the end of the season went for $65.  And it is just sitting outside now, waiting to be rolled down the hill, hopefully to spread some grass seed as that is the only thing it would be good for.


This load of mixed grass hay cost $40 a bale, but I'm guessing they are going to be light bales.  Although we were swamped with rain earlier in the year, we're getting to that point where the word "drought" is coming up in daily conversations.  

My front "lawn" crunches when I walk on it.  And it's not even June!
The hay guy (not to be confused with the pecker-head-lying-hay-guy from last year) is going to be bailing some river bottom hay (a better quality) this coming week and I think I'm going to call him and ask him to hold another eight bales for us.  We'll (Paul, again) have to do some creative thinking to put it all under cover though.  But I think it will be worth it to not have to worry about running out like we were worried last year.
****
Well, I just got off with the hay guy and he said that he may not have eight bales available as most were already spoken for!  But he did say he'd get me as many as he could of the river bottom hay and if eight weren't available he'd make sure we got the remainder from the second cutting.  Assuming we get rain this summer to have a second cutting.  Ugh.  I hate worrying about hay.  

And even though we've got plenty of grazing ground for the goats, I've been having to feed them hay.  It's been 90 degrees or darned close to it the past week so they've been hiding out underneath the barn where it's cool and just coming out in the evening to eat their hay.  I haven't been able to stake them out to graze on the green stuff because it's just too hot already.  


Guess I'll be looking up "Rain Dance" in my Magical Almanac pretty soon.  I hope it doesn't entail me getting down to my skivvies.   

11 comments:

  1. Oh man, none of us need another stinkin' bad hay year!! The 100-pound bales of bermuda, for the horses, and alfalfa, for the goats, are still running right at $20 each around here. A couple of years ago, they were $10 and $8!!
    As long as there are no skivvies involved, I'm willing to join you in the dance to bring the rain! ;-)

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  2. hay prices are just now starting to come down slightly now here. Pastures went from green to very dry brown in just a few days. Hopefully summer won't be too hot and unbearable. Going to be planting more trees to create more shade areas. Keep me posted on dance steps for that rain dance and I will join you.

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  3. We don't currently have hay eatin' animals but, boy, I sure remember the days when we did and securing a supply of hay was always a hassle. Having enough hay put by is a lot like having enough dry firewood. Hoping you find what you need and don't have to take out a loan to pay for it.

    Up here in the Northwoods are in drought conditions, too, mainly because we didn't get near enough snow for melt this past winter but also because we have had very little rain fall on us all spring. Now it's hot (in the 80s today) which isn't helping.

    P.S. I seem to remember hearing that rain dances don't work unless you perform them nekkid. Just sayin'.

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  4. Carolyn Renee,

    I will be more than happy to send you some of our rain. It's suppose to rain again tonight, the winds are terrible right now. There making havoc of my raised garden beds.

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  5. Wow - those prices are crazy! Here is hoping you get some rain to break the drought. Now I'm off to follow the link about the #$%#$ Hay Guy - he must have done something bad!

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  6. Rain here in North Florida has been scarce. Our rain water retention ponds of which there are many here to control flooding, are 2-3 feet below normal. Not a good sign.

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  7. I'll join you in a rain dance but I'll have to come to your house because Mother Nature needs to follow me there. She hasn't figured out that WE have enough and YOU don't. Put the coffee on, I'm on my way....

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  8. I'd like to order the video of you and MamaTea doing the rain dance. Well, not if you're nekkid. But if you choose to do it with clothes on... :)

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  9. Hey Rae... I'll join in on that rain dance too... Though *supposedly* we're gonna get some in the next day or two. So I watered the veggies anyway just in case... I'm hoping we'll get a good soaking rain just because I watered. Hey.. I was wondering if you have any meat goats got any extras? I wouldn't mind buy a couple off a fellow blogger...

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  10. another bad hay year would be scary... I hope you are able to secure enough and from a good person this year!

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  11. They are calling for rain here today. I'll believe it when I see it. Might just do the rain dance with ya.

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