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Good hay still selling well

An Extension hay expert says quality hay is still commanding a good price.

Richard Halopka with the University of Wisconsin says, “In South Dakota, there was a report from a Wisconsin auction, a tested auction, where they had new-crop South Dakota hay come in. It’s running about 235 a ton for that 150-plus relative feed value alfalfa hay.”

Halopka tells Brownfield the prices have a very wide range depending upon the quality of the hay. “Anything that old crop, under 100 relative feed value is very depressed (at) $35 – $50 dollars a ton, you know, and I’ve seen under 100 relative feed value from like $35 to $150 a ton depending upon what it looks like.”

And, Halopka says many farmers are running out of time before this week’s predicted rainstorms to get first-crop in without losing more feed value. “If you just use 170 as a base, and the weather we had over the weekend, it’s probably losing three to four points a day.”

Halopka says where he is in central Wisconsin, an orchard grass/alfalfa/clover mix is probably losing feed value more quickly since the grass is fully headed, so farmers must get it in fast.