How much does it cost to bale hay

From the hay market, square bales, on average, will cost you between $3 and $10 per bale, but some farmers prefer selling their hay per pound, in which case such a bale will be around 50 pounds.

How much does it cost to bale your own hay?

If you are figuring what it costs you to make hay on your farm, add mowing, raking, and baling at 20.20 per bale (Machinery Cost Estimates, University of Illinois Extension, June 2015). As a result, a bale of hay sitting in the field costs $33.11.

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.

How much should I charge for baling hay?

Swathing, $20-$22 per acre; Raking, $8-$10 per acre; Baling: small bales, 60-75 cents per bale; midsize (3×3), $10-$12 per bale; midsize (3×4), $14-$18 per bale; large square (4×4), $22-$25 per bale; round bales, $12-$15 per bale.

How do you bail your own hay?

Step 1: Build Your Baler. | …
Step 2: Stand Baler Firmly On A Level Ground. | …
Step 3: Cut Polypropylene Twine And Tie Loops. …
Step 4: Attach Twine In The Baler. …
Step 5: Close Baler’s Door. …
Step 6: Put Hay Into the Baler Box. …
Step 7: Depress The Baler’s Plunger. …
Step 8: Tie Off Loops.

How much can you make baling hay?

He says it costs about $297 per acre to seed and prepare hay ground. “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.

How many bales of hay do you get per 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. Our farm aside, we can offer some guidelines to consider when trying to predict the productivity of your hay fields.

Is hay a good cash crop?

Over the last few years many hay acres have been planted to cash grain crops. … Consequently, hay prices are strong and in demand. Some areas have received adequate rainfall and are harvesting yields that will allow excess forage production for sale.

Can you cut hay with a flail mower?

Flail mowers are sometimes used to chop hay for quicker drying. A sickle-bar or disc-mower will do a much better job: it is difficult to keep brush hog blades really sharp, the heavy blades hack the hay and knock off leaves, and flail mowers produce short pieces of hay that are harder to rake and bale.

What is the machine called that cuts hay?

A tedder (also called hay tedder) is a machine used in haymaking. It is used after cutting and before windrowing, and uses moving forks to aerate or “wuffle” the hay and thus speed up the process of hay-making. The use of a tedder allows the hay to dry (“cure”) better, which results in improved aroma and color.

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How many acres do I need for hay?

Horse farmers are looking for good hay, and they’re willing to pay for it. Here was the thought, on 50 acres you would get 100 square bales per acre, which is a conservative number. If we do the math, that works out to be. 100 bales x 50 acres = 5000 bales of hay for 50 acres of land.

Can you bale hay by hand?

The major drawback to storing it loose, as I said, is that it takes up a lot more space. Baling hay compresses it so it requires less space, and bales can be stacked more efficiently too. Making hay bales, whether by hand or by machine, is simply a matter of saving space.

How did they bail hay in the old days?

Baling Hay The first hay baling equipment was invented in the late 1800s. These early baling machines were stationary, and the hay had to come to it. Hay was carried by hand to wagons that then took the hay to these early balers, where the machine pressed the hay into square bales.

How many times a year can you bale hay?

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.

How much hay will 100 acres produce?

At 65lbs per bale (which can vary significantly, but whatever), that’s about 77 bales. So for 100 acres that’s about 7700 bales or about 250 tons of dry hay.

How much hay can 15 acres produce?

Probably average 3000 (+/-) 40 pound bales, so 60 tons more or less! That would be a total for all cuttings taken.

What crop is the most profitable?

Lavender. Lavender is one of the most profitable cash crops to grow. …
Saffron. …
Gourmet Garlic. …
Chives. …
Basil. …
Ginseng. …
Cilantro.

How much does it cost to plant a hay field?

Costs generally are $200 to $300 per acre. Your cost for organic may be less but your expected yields will be alot less.

Is hay easy to grow?

Hay – grasses and legumes that can be dried for stock feed – is simple to grow either as part of a crop rotation or a permanent meadow, and grows naturally in many areas. Better knowledge of the best types of hay and what is needed for a healthy crop, however, will increase the field’s yield and nutrition.

What is a flail blade?

The teeth or flail blades, also called knives, are short pieces of metal attached to an axle that turns rapidly, cutting grass and other plants. A flail mower can be mounted on the front, back or side of a compact, garden or farm tractor.

What is the advantage of a flail mower?

“Flail mowers are a better choice for areas of overgrown brush and vines, and their design reduces the risk of injury from flying debris.” Flail mowers excel at cutting vines and brush. This makes them the perfect choice for areas that are not only grassy but also overgrown with other types of vegetation.

What's the difference between a flail mower and a topper?

A flail mower will generally be more expensive than a topper, but you gain so much more. … Both options serve their purpose well, but it often boils down to the kind of vegetation you are looking to mow. Toppers work better on rough paddocks, but flail mowers can handle more robust plants like brambles, goes and bushes.

Do farmers grow hay?

Your pastures can offer one of the most valuable crops grown on your land: hay. For many farmers, growing your own hay to feed your livestock is one satisfying step closer to a self-sufficient farm.

Is Alfalfa a good cash crop?

It’s a profitable crop these days, with prices for high quality hay frequently reaching $250/ton. But in addition to its over $1 billion value to the state of California, alfalfa provides a host of environmental benefits that are frequently overlooked.

Where is hay grown in Ontario?

Acres seededProduction (‘000 tonnes)Niagara31,69968.7Oxford76,225203.3Southern Ontario277,997724.9Bruce121,582333.9

What size tractor do I need to bale hay?

Most standard square balers on the market require 35 horsepower at your tractor’s PTO, and a minimum tractor weight of around 3000 pounds. That means that they cannot be run with today’s compact tractors.

Why is it called a Tedder?

A horse-drawn implement for fluffing hay after it was cut, and primarily after windrowing. It was intended to stir up and turn over extra heavy hay to help the part near the ground to dry, or to help the drying of cut grass that had been dampened by an unexpected rain.

How much HP does it take to run a round baler?

PTO horsepower requirements for round balers start at 30 hp and can run up to 120 hp. There are a couple of different options when it comes to bale size in balers. Balers can be fixed chambered, variable chambered, or a combination thereof.

How many small bales of hay can you get from 10 acres?

I.e. 10 acres would make about 1,000 bales.

Can you make hay with a lawn mower?

A very expensive disk-type mower now cuts hay at twelve miles mph or faster, squishes the moisture out of the hay stems in a very expensive attached crimper, and lays the squished hay in a fluffy windrow, all in one operation.