How Much Can You Make Baling 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.”

How much does a hay farmer make a year?

The average pay for a Hay Farmer is $59,751 a year and $29 an hour in the United States. The average salary range for a Hay Farmer is between $43,766 and $73,126. On average, a Less Than HS Degree is the highest level of education for a Hay Farmer.

How many times a year can you make hay?

Unfortunately, weather and other commitments don’t always let you cut hay at the optimum time. In most areas of the country, grass hay can be cut twice, sometimes three times, per year . The first cutting generally has the largest yield. Some animals, like sheep, prefer the tender stems of second or third cutting hay.

How many bales of hay can you get from an acre?

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.

How much can you get for a bale of hay?

Is it cheaper to buy hay or make it?

In most environments where forage production is based on natural rainfall, you can almost always buy hay cheaper than you can produce it . Most farmers and ranchers initially don’t believe this. ... When full cost of production is accounted for, hay generally costs between $70 and $140/ton to produce.

Is making hay profitable?

Brown says using 2019 numbers, it costs about $400 an acre to plant corn on ground that may yield 150 bushels per acre. ... “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.”

Does hay have to be replanted every year?

Some fields are always used to grow hay, and don’t require re-planting every year . In other cases, hay is a part of a crop rotation, where farmers plant different crops on the same field in different years. Hayseed can be a mixture of many types of seeds, with alfalfa, clover, and timothy being among the most common.

How much is a ton of hay worth?

Depending on the type, quality, place of harvest, and size of hay bales, you should expect to pay something between $30 and $300 per ton of hay . If you want hay to contain alfalfa or Bermuda grass, then it will be more expensive.

What month do you cut hay?

Therefore, the best time to do any cutting is when grasses have reached what is called the “late boot stage”. This stage is typically reached after 6 to 8 weeks of growth in the spring or 6 to 8 weeks after a previous cutting. The “late boot stage” is when the seed head of the grasses first pops out of the sheath.

How long after cutting hay can you bale it?

Subject: RE: How long does your hay lay to bale dry? Cut first thing in the morning, ted about 2-4 hours later, do nothing the next day, rake as soon as dew is off (-48 hours after cutting), let dry about 3 hours , and bale. Sometime takes an extra day to dry or occasionally a day less if perfect weather.

Can hay be too dry?

While hay with exceptionally low moisture might not be at risk of growing mold and bacteria, that’s because much of that hay’s nutritional value is already gone. When hay is too dry before baling, the leaves of the forage become stiff and brittle , making them much more likely to fall off.

How many cows can you have per acre?

You may have heard a rule-of-thumb is that it takes 1.5 to 2 acres to feed a cow calf pair for 12 months. That means we should be able to have 10 to 13 cows. Let’s see how this rule-of-thumb holds up. It looks like our rule-of-thumb held up pretty good, 11 cows on 20 acres, is 1.8 acres per cow .

How much does a bale of hay cost 2021?

What Is the Average Price for a Bale of Hay? On average, a bale of hay costs around $15 . For example, two wired Alfalfa Hay bales typically run high, costing $19.95 apiece, whereas bermudagrass is only $8.75. Timothy Hay is the most expensive, typically costing at least $20 a bale.

How much is a bale of hay 2020?

Small square bales averaged $4.60 a bale (range of $2.00 to $6.00). Large square bale straw averaged $64.00 per bale (a range of $40.00 to $90.00). Large round bale straw averaged $58.00 per bale (a range of $40.00 – $85.00). In Nebraska, hay sold steady, demand is light in 2020.

How much is a small bale of hay?