The drought of 2011 is set to go down in the record books as one of the most severe in history. Most livestock producers in the Southern Great Plains have not been able to put up enough hay to meet their requirements in a normal growing season, let alone during a drought when they will have to start feeding hay earlier in the year.
Thus far, reports indicate hay production is less than 50 percent of normal for the 2011 growing season, resulting in tight supplies and escalating prices. This has led some to purchase old hay that has been weathered from years of sitting unprotected outside. Do you know the actual value of the old weathered hay when wastage is factored in? It may be eye-opening to learn that a large percentage of the total volume of the round bale is in the outer 6 inches of the bale.
The Noble Foundation has developed an online calculator to help you estimate the actual value of the edible hay in a weathered round bale. When complete, this tool and many other useful agricultural calculators may be found at www.noble.org/ag/tools.
Here is a practical example to demonstrate the relative difference in the value of two bales of hay that are the same size and weight (4 feet x 5 feet weighing 1,100 pounds), but differ by price and how much weathered, inedible hay is present. The first option was baled this year and has no weathered or inedible hay for a cost of $55 before freight. The second option was baled a year ago at a cost of $45 before freight, but it also has 6 inches of inedible weathered hay. Which of the two lots of hay is the better deal? The two factors that determine percentage waste of the bale are the diameter of the bale and the depth of the weathered hay. According to the hay calculator, the year-old hay has 36 percent waste in the form of weathered, low quality hay that will not be eaten by the cows. This gives last year's hay an adjusted value of $70.31 per bale when compared to this year's hay.
Not only is the older hay more expensive on an edible hay basis, but the producer will need to purchase 36 percent more hay to meet the cow's total nutrient requirements for the winter or risk running out before spring arrives. Let's assume that the livestock producer has 30 cows and plans to feed hay for five months. If the producer purchases this year's hay, he will need 152 (1,100-pound) bales or four full trucks of 38 bales per truck to meet his needs. If he purchases last year's hay, he will need to purchase 206 bales or six truckloads. If trucking is factored at $3 per loaded mile and the hay has to be hauled 200 miles, the total cost for this year's hay is $10,760 while the year-old hay would cost $12,870. The year-old hay actually costs an additional $2,110.
This is a quick tool that can be used to determine if older hay really is the bargain it appears to be. The calculator can also be used to determine the amount of additional hay that is necessary to meet the cow herd winter requirements after accounting for the inedible portion of the hay. Contact a Noble Foundation livestock consultant or agricultural economist, or your local county extension agent for assistance in determining hay needs for your herd.