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Veteran
Posts: 118
| Anyone have any tips on buying hay straight from the hay farm? We are wanting to bring in 3-string bales of premium alfalfa to our area for us and other folks to have access to but I am having a hard time finding a good source and I am not paying $30 or more a bale to have them brought in as a "second buyer" (meaning we buy from someone who bought from someone) We are on the east coast, NC to be exact. I am looking for sources out of New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and other high altitude states. The only decent quality we have access to is trucked in from Kansas, I wont take the chance on blister beetles  |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
  
| Try to find the transportation end first and make sure of the terms of delivery. I always thought it would be best to have the pallets loaded and left on a drop trailer and rent the trailer (very reasonable usually) to be swapped out with the next shipment. If you have the space to store the hay then you wouldn't need anything except the actually load/unload and transportation. The purchasing out in the west lands is not as hard as finding the transportation. I have found two suppliers at just under $20 per bale on 100lbs+ premium alfalfa bales in previous years. Google and a few phone calls and you should find what you're looking for. Our local price (Northern VA) on this hay is $42 per bale. |
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Expert
Posts: 1314
Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | You could also look in Iowa , Wisconson and Minn. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | Bringing hay from that far is going to really cost in trucking. Most of the 3 string bales that I see are Arizona, and California, and some New Mexico. There is Blister Beetles in all the states you are asking about, so technically there is always a risk of some sort.
There is more availability of good 2-string bales, if that would be an option for you. (I really can't stand 3-string myself. They are not easy to handle and I bet most don't weigh what people think)
Edited by Tdove 2017-12-21 4:47 PM
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Location: Not Where I Want to Be | Tdove - 2017-12-21 5:40 PM Bringing hay from that far is going to really cost in trucking. Most of the 3 string bales that I see are Arizona, and California, and some New Mexico. There is Blister Beetles in all the states you are asking about, so technically there is always a risk of some sort.
No matter how much you don't want to admit it, Kansas is far worse than the other states listed
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | 1DSoon - 2017-12-21 4:45 PM
Tdove - 2017-12-21 5:40 PM Bringing hay from that far is going to really cost in trucking. Most of the 3 string bales that I see are Arizona, and California, and some New Mexico. There is Blister Beetles in all the states you are asking about, so technically there is always a risk of some sort.
No matter how much you don't want to admit it, Kansas is far worse than the other states listed
I admit the facts just fine and understand blister beetles in the Midwest. The idea that some states are zero risk, while others is a death sentence is just not accurate. Safe hay is available in most areas that produce alfalfa. The last blister beetle death that I am aware of came from Colorado hay. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| 1DSoon - 2017-12-21 4:45 PM
Tdove - 2017-12-21 5:40 PM Bringing hay from that far is going to really cost in trucking. Most of the 3 string bales that I see are Arizona, and California, and some New Mexico. There is Blister Beetles in all the states you are asking about, so technically there is always a risk of some sort.
No matter how much you don't want to admit it, Kansas is far worse than the other states listed
It depends on which part of the state you're talking about. We are in SW Kansas and grow alfalfa, and blister beetles are not an issue here.
As far as the type of bales you'll find in our area are small squares (2 string) that average around 60lbs. Those bales sell for around $10 here, probably less if you would buy a semi-load. Other than that you'll find a lot of large squares (around 1800lbs or more), and round bales. |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | Our alfalfa supplier gets his trucked in by Alfalfa Express. It's always been very nice quality hay - we've gotten 2 strand, 3 strand, 800lb and 1000lb bales from him.
Only problem is we would LOVE to just buy a truckload straight from the source and maybe save a few $$$, but haven't been able to get a response from them. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | Maybe you can find a source here:
http://www.hayexchange.com/
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Buying Hay