I need hay!!

[Ernest T Bass]

Yes, I know every rancher in Texas needs it, and Im no exception. I need about 60 large round bales delivered to Ellis County.(will consider buying more for the right price). If anyone know of anyone, please let me know how I can get in touch with them. THanks!

[trojandad]

is liberty county too far for you to drive to get it? my brother in law sells it there (between cleveland and splendora)....

[Ernest T Bass]

I need it delivered.

[trojandad]

I need it delivered.

my bad....would take a few trips with his equipment to move 60 round bales....will ask him if he knows somebody in your area....good luck on findin some, my other brother sent 40 of his cows to auction last month....its tough out there....

[bobcat1]

Hey:wave:

[rancher]

Ernest T
Best of luck in finding hay, there is a man in Teague, not far from you who has hay for about $100 a roll, delivered. His name is Allen Carroll. Sorry I dont have his phone number. My suggestion, keep an eye on Craigslist, but be very careful of the hay as a lot of hay now coming in from out of state is moldy has been sitting in wet fields. Also dont buy milo stubble, hay stubble etc. due to prussic acid. May be cheaper to sell than keep those cows, you can always start over.

[DavidWooderson]

Ask people from Celina, they're the ones that waste it and paint murals on them.

[1st and goal]

+1, One local rancher was quoted as "I got hay....I need water!" some places are having alfalfa trucked in from Colorado. $$$ Most hay around here now is junk.

I'd recommend you sell down to bare minimum while prices are still decent.

I googled "the woods outside of Mayberry" and it didn't come up near me.

[jason]

a lot of folks in stephenville are selling their cattle at the sale barn each weekend, ive heard if you get there after 7 or 8 on friday then theres no room for anymore and sales are going until 6 or 7am on saturday morning...
apparently though, buyers from the north are trying to replenish their herds and prices are pretty good, so thats one positive that is coming from this...

a lot of folks who run dairies around here are getting it hauled in from arkansas and other more eastern states...

[rancher]

A lot of sale barns now are only taking a set number of cattle due to heat conditions etc. If you do not get there in time, your cattle will not be accepted. Looking at all the long range forcast, it is going to be very very dry well into next spring. Unless you have hay to carry you into next spring, I would be thinking very very hard of selling out. You cannot make it at $100 a round bale. Prices are up now, get what you can and start over when rain returns. Less work and headaches.

[icu812]

A lot of sale barns now are only taking a set number of cattle due to heat conditions etc. If you do not get there in time, your cattle will not be accepted. Looking at all the long range forcast, it is going to be very very dry well into next spring. Unless you have hay to carry you into next spring, I would be thinking very very hard of selling out. You cannot make it at $100 a round bale. Prices are up now, get what you can and start over when rain returns. Less work and headaches.

This^

Makes no sense buying hay right now.

[Ranger Mom]

My son works 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off....on one of his off weeks, he is driving across state and buying round bales. He can bring them back to West Texas and pretty much sell them for triple what he bought them for. He has even been approached by some of the feed stores. It has turned into quiet a nice little side business for him.

[Old Tiger]

Your best bet/cheapest would go to New Mexico or get it hot shot to you.

[Bruce]

Try looking at craigslist DFW area saw it had hay in the Garden & Farm . Some with fair prices ,other were high in price. Its worth looking at.My brother got 4 trailer truck loads out of La. Forgot what he had to pay. Best of luck ETB. Thanks !

[Ernest T Bass]

If I can get it for $80 or less, then I think ill be ok. Anything over that, and Ill have to sell out.

[trojandad]

My son works 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off....on one of his off weeks, he is driving across state and buying round bales. He can bring them back to West Texas and pretty much sell them for triple what he bought them for. He has even been approached by some of the feed stores. It has turned into quiet a nice little side business for him.

sharp guy....

[Old Tiger]

If I can get it for $80 or less, then I think ill be ok. Anything over that, and Ill have to sell out.In NM you might be able to get it for around $55 a round. I know there is a place between Hillsboro and Dallas that had it for 60$ a round. I will call my dad and get some info.

[TexasFight]

I know a guy around Abilene that has a good amount of alfalfa for sale and will deliver if it's not too terribly far....not sure of the price....I can find out if anyone is interested.

[Ernest T Bass]

Im interested in and all contacts right now!

[Gsquared]

Im interested in and all contacts right now!
You need hay this bad why? Sounds like you got another date this weekend.

[Ernest T Bass]

You need hay this bad why? .

Because your wife keeps coming over.

[trojandad]

Because your wife keeps coming over.

i never knew you bought any hay for his wife before....must be an anniversary....

[bigwood33]

About 4500 head went through the Gainesville sale barn last week...that is a bunch.

[rancher]

A few weeks ago TSC in Corsicana was selling producers pride range cubes for $7.50 a bag that is cheapest price I found in the state. If you dont mind coming to Bryan, Producers Coop has a product called beefmaker, 10% protein, that sells for about $7 a bag or $250 a ton. If you have a cotton gin near, they sell cotton seed hulls cheap, cattle love them. Im making my hay last longer by feeding the hulls and beefmaker. Those in the Houston area hulls can be bought at Southern Cotton Oil in Richmond. Hope this helps.

[Ernest T Bass]

How much does beefmaker run? How far will a ton go? TSC in Ennis has range cubes for $9.99. Doubt there's a cotton gin anywhere near.

[Pawdaddy]

Farmer's Coop in Sulphur quoted me the Forage Extender at 14.22/100 lbs about 3 weeks ago. May be more now, but it is delivered in bulk and is designed to replace the hay. It is 16% protein and 25% fiber. Can totally replace hay feeding. Delivered for free for amounts of 5 tons or more. I have fed it before. It is good feed but you really need enough troughs for your herd and a front end loader to put it out.

On the other hand, I unloaded two truckloads of bahia/bermuda mix that came from near Lafayette, LA today and will get 4 more truckloads in the next week. Good hay 4X5-51/2 and some 5X5 rolls (two different bailers working the fields). Without a stiff cold snap, there will be much more hay coming out of that area. They have had some rain along and got a soaking from TS Lee.

[bigwood33]

Shoot an email to the local County Extension Agent for Ellis County and ask him if there are any gins in the county. He/she would be able to tell you where the closest one is. I have seen cotton fields just south of Ennis...you might be surprised.

[1st and goal]

I know some people won't like to hear this, but a big round bale of coastal bermuda should sell for about $60-70 regularly, even when there is plenty of it due to fertilizer, fuel, land and equipment costs. You'll be lucky to find it for a hundred right now unless you have a friend or neighbor willing to "give" it to you for $80. Diesel is $3.79/gallon and the big trucks can haul almost 38 bales in 1 haul. It just depends on how far they have to go to get it.

I sold my last bales for $50 back in May or early June. I wish I still had some. My land looks like a desert. Pray for rain.

[trojandad]

Shoot an email to the local County Extension Agent for Ellis County and ask him if there are any gins in the county. He/she would be able to tell you where the closest one is. I have seen cotton fields just south of Ennis...you might be surprised.

almost all the acreage between ennis and waxahachie is cotton fields....there should be a gin close for those guys....

[Pawdaddy]

I know some people won't like to hear this, but a big round bale of coastal bermuda should sell for about $60-70 regularly, even when there is plenty of it due to fertilizer, fuel, land and equipment costs. You'll be lucky to find it for a hundred right now unless you have a friend or neighbor willing to "give" it to you for $80. Diesel is $3.79/gallon and the big trucks can haul almost 38 bales in 1 haul. It just depends on how far they have to go to get it.

I sold my last bales for $50 back in May or early June. I wish I still had some. My land looks like a desert. Pray for rain.

You are right. I paid $28 to have mine cut, raked and baled this year. There just wasn't enough of it. If you put 300-400#'s of fertilizer per acre, paying someone else to bale it can cost you the same $75-80 per roll in a year that is not historically dry. Everyone selling off their herds now, means prices are lower than what they would normally be and that the prices for replacements in the spring will be through the roof. Local salebarn owner told me that he sees cow/calf pairs being $2000-2300 by April with replacement heifers well over $1000. Numbers will be down. You either hold on, and take your losses in hope of hanging on until the times are better (and the rain starts), or you sell out and try to get back in at high dollar later. It is a gamble whatever you do.

[trojandad]

this is the type of non sport thread i think ranger mom was talking about...it wouldnt have gotten nearly the play on the other forum, i probably wouldnt have caught it and i really got an education reading the contributions....

[LHPfactory]

LH has a hay outfit on hwy 29, you may be able to get em to deliver, i see a flat bed 18wheeler delivering there.

[Old Tiger]

What kinda hay? coastal is going for around 100 right now a round...the corn stock crap is going around 70-80...the other stuff around 120-130

[SintonFan]

How much does beefmaker run? How far will a ton go? TSC in Ennis has range cubes for $9.99. Doubt there's a cotton gin anywhere near.

Try this.
http://www.crandallcottongin.com/location1.html

Give them a call.

[LHPfactory]

I hate to think of the price of meat if this keeps up.

[1st and goal]

Steal hay from around here....you get shot and rightfully so.

http://www.lexingtonleader.com/news/2011-09-15/Front_Page/Hay_Thief_Suffers_Gun_Shot_Wound.html

[Ernest T Bass]

Price of beef is dropping b/c so many are selling off their herds, but not dropping too low b/c the Chinese are buying huge amounts.
Anyone know anything about rice straw hay?
Ok, I'll get real specific. I need about 60 rolls and the max I can pay is $85 a roll.

[rancher]

Rice straw is a little better than milo or corn stubble. A lot of cattlemen here in Austin County are feeding it now. But and this is the key, make sure whoever you buy it from can prove that it was tested. If it is not properly baled, it will have a high level of prussic acid. Must guys that I know and rice farmers who sell it have it tested for protein content as well a prussic acid. Reach deep in the bale and make sure you are not getting all stalks which is nothing but trash. If they bale it right, it should be 8-10% protein. Hope this helps. Remember I called it last year, Pecos Perry for President.

[rancher]

Have you thought of feeding alfalfa. You can buy it in the bigger bale and give a smaller amount to the cattle. You could then supplement with a hard protein tub, I use PF tubs, or you can give them range meal with a lot of salt to keep them from eating so much. I can also tell you that some of the older cattlemen here are going to the bread companies in Houston and getting the stuff they are throwing away and feeding it to cattle, yes they will eat the out of date bread products.

[Trashman]

A friend of mine in Mason county sold all of her cattle last week. It is the first time in over 100 years that they haven't had cattle on their land.

[Manso/V8]

I have been feeding rice straw hay to one set of cows for about a month. That hay tested at 10% protein and are 5x5 round bales weighing about 1100-1200#.
I would say this type of hay is going for $75-85 a bale now in the Bellville area. Price has definately gone up with demand. I could of bought all I wanted for $35 a roll delivered a month or so ago. The cows eat it up, but you should supplement with protein and loose minerals to help them digest it and get the most out of it.
Otherwise they will lose body condition. Cottonseed meal/cottonseed cubes/cottonseed cake is probably the cheapest way to get them protein. Tubs are a great labor saver but it is an expensive way to get them protein. Range meal with a salt limiter is good way to go as well, but usually more expensive than cottonseed cubes. Another good way to supplement is with a high protein/high fat liquid feed. I use cottonseed cubes and a loose mineral that has Bovatec in it. The Bovatec helps them digest the hay too. If you are in Ellis County, the freight on rice hay would probably make it too expensive to be worthwhile. You should look for some grass hay out Arkansas or Louisiana. That big rain they had a couple weeks back should get them another cutting of hay. You said you would pay up to $85 a bale, just be sure you know the bale weight and hay quality. The better the quality, the less you need to supplement. If you can find something reasonable, buy it and hang on. If that doesn't work, yall are far enough north to get big bales of alfalfa out of kansas and colorado too. Just about any alfalfa would be good for dry cows, plus you can break flakes off those big bales and you won't have nearly the waste that you get with round bales. I imagine alfalfa is pretty expensive by now. If you wanna stay in the cow business, cull deep and hard. With the situation we have, it makes no sense to keep any open or any older cow over the winter.........you gotta figure we are at least 5-6 months away from green grass to graze. Good Luck!

[Ernest T Bass]

We're down to 26 heffers and one bull already. Can't really cull any more. Do you think alfalfa from Colorado or Kansas would be a reasonable solution? Obviously, we're just trying to get through the winter and then we'll reevaluate come next summer if times are still hard. What is the most economical solution, you think?

[rancher]

Feeding alfalfa and supplement feeding will get you through. The big bales, I forget the size are the way to go and you feed just a cake or two to each cow. Like I said, if you can find cotton seed hulls cheap that is a quick fix. They buy hay and limit the access by your cattle, what I mean let them eat the hay say for an hour or two a day, dont let them have an all day meal around the bale. Protein tubs are expensive but for me the PF last the longest. I dont like the liquid feed because to me you are paying for a bunch of water and unless it has a limiter, cattle will lick that wheel all day long. Dont get me wrong it is a good product. I feel you pain in the situation, I got lucky this year and bought hay at the right time. We cattlemen are all in the same boat on this one and shared knowlege among us is key. If you have any ideals or thoughts Im all ears. If you are ever in the Bryan area, Producers Coop has classes every Saturday Morning on a various ag and gardening subjects. A lot of them qualify for CEU if you have herbicide license. The speakers are all subject matter experts from A&M and best of all it is FREE. Classes last about 1-2 hours and start at 11 am. You can go to their website and see the schedule.

Pecos Perry for President

[Manso/V8]

If you are raising heifers for replacements you want to make sure they have good enough groceries to keep growing, so decent quality hay and some kind of supplemental feed will probably be required. At least around here, weaned calves don't grow very much on just grass hay. My suggestion would be to talk to one of the farm coops in your part of the state. There should be good ones in Stephenville and Sulphur Springs since those are big dairy areas and dairies do alot of supplemental feeding with lower cost by-products. They may have feed cheap enough compared to local supplies to make the trip worthwhile. It looked like it rained up your way this weekend, hopefully enough to grow some grass. Maybe you can take a risk on planting some oats or ryegrass. I have heard reports of rain from zero to 2 inches around here over the weekend. My places all got under an inch, with .8 inches being the most.