[RC] bale prices, and hay is for horses? - Tx Trigger
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......
