RE: [RC] bale prices, and hay is for horses? - Smith, Dave
Well said, Jonni – sort of puts it
into perspective, doesn’t it. -- Dave
From:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tx Trigger Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2007
11:53 AM To: Ridecamp Subject: [RC] bale prices, and hay
is for horses?
Hay bale size varies coast to coast, so giving a per bale
price, without saying how much the bale weighs does not give the full picture
of what folks are paying. CA has more large 3 wire/string bales that weight
anywhere from 100 - 125 pounds. In TX we rarely see 3 wire/string bales,
and our 2 wire/string bales run around 60-65 pounds average. It seems other
areas 50-55 pounds is normal. And the large round bales were never seen by us
in So. CA, as they would be impossible for the average horse owner to handle.
Here in TX they are common, and run from 900-1200 pounds each. I saw many large
1000 pound or so square bales up in the Midwest.
So, saying you pay $16.50 in CA for a bale of hay, if it is 100+ pounds, is
about what some of the folks are paying for the same weight, just in 2 smaller
bales.
The cost of getting hay from the ground, and into a bale has
gone up. You can't even produce them for the prices some people would like to
pay after you figure the cost of fuel for the equipment, supplies from fertilizer
to the string to bale it, maintenance on that farm equipment, and the persons
time who sat out there in the sun driving a tractor around. We have
invested around $1000 into our pasture this year for weed kill, and fertilizer,
and hope that we get a yield off of it that after paying someone to bale it for
me, does not end up making my hay more expensive than I maybe could have bought
it for from a high volume producer.
Horses are a luxury item. They are not a commodity that
feeds anyone, nor gives us any product such as wool. The Amish still use
them for "work", but most are not. Yet, some seem to forget
that their are farmers trying to feed cattle and other livestock that produce
something other than smiles on our faces, and warm fuzzies when they nicker at
us. Last year in TX we watched farmers selling their family herds,
just so they could survive, as they could not afford to feed the livestock IF
they were able to find the hay to do so at all. Next time you feed like
hay prices are too high...go whine to a farmer trying to put food on
his families table, while you want to feed your horse so you can take
it and ride it on the trail for fun....... I'm sure they will be really
sympathetic.... uh huh....sure......
