[seanherron]

I own a farm, this summer we produced and sold about 1500 bales of hay. Had no idea hay exchange existed, the vast majority of our sales were via craigslist and Facebook marketplace, with most being small-scale (50 bales or fewer). The rest came from word of mouth and our local 4-H group.

Producing hay at this scale is extremely difficult. The start-up costs are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and you're typically barely breaking even. This year is unusual in that supply was way down, so prices were a lot higher than normal. The only reason we can do it is that we have a relationship with someone who cuts & bales a number of small fields for a per-ton fee.

I could see a tool like this being useful for large-scale operations that are doing the big round bales yet don't have an established relationship with a buyer. For an operation like ours, where we are producing small ~60lb traditional square bales, I don't think we're going to find anyone local enough who wants to buy at the quantity and size we have. For instance, only two entries in the entire state of Oregon.

That said, I'll post on here next season, I'd be really interested to see if anyone reaches out.

[vidanay]

I've been cutting my own hay (10 acres) for 17 years now. My equipment investment was as bare-bones cheap as possible ($5k for a 1960's tractor, $2500 for a 1960's baler, $1k for a couple of wagons, $2k for a wheel rake, probably $10k in maintenance over the years). The one thing I can say with confidence is that making hay is the single most stressful thing I do all year. Finding clear weather, and then watching the weather hour to hour after it is cut, and before baling day is agonizing.

[seanherron]

I wish used equipment was that cheap now! We are constantly looking and old balers in our area are still going for $7k+. For something relatively recent and in good working order, much higher. Also, don’t forget building a dry place to stack and store all of it!

[vidanay]

I guess that's good for me. My last cutting ever was last Saturday. We are moving and all the equipment will be sold in the spring (or sold with the property.) Located in N. Illinois.

[bradleyankrom]

Would be interested in learning more about the property you’re selling … the wife & I have been looking around Northern Illinois (she’s from Rockford) for a small farm. My email is in my bio.

[vidanay]

Email sent.

[paledot]

This. This is why I keep coming back to Hacker News.

[b112]

More advice, make sure the off gassing of green hay, doesn't blow up the barn!

(My grandma was blown up, a story she loved to retell when I was a child... "Did you know I was blown up? Threw me 50 feet from the barn!")

[throwaway984393]

> Also, don’t forget building a dry place to stack and store all of it!

Would Romanian haystacks help? Or is it impossible to do it on a large scale without a large amount of manual labor? Can you just drape a tarp over each hay bale?

[Ancapistani]

Tarps are expensive, and hay bales are comparatively inexpensive.

That said, I’ve seen farmers use old billboards as tarps in the past. Otherwise, it’s usually either a barn or a plastic sheeting.

[jessaustin]

If hay is stored outdoors in a typical temperate climate without a tarp, it's just a waste of everyone's time. Sure, cattle or goats can eat it, and it will make a turd, but the nutrients are gone within a few months.

[wolverine876]

Why has it become more expensive?

[batman-farts]

Here in California, the water supply is obviously a concern as well. The grower I regularly deal with was very concerned at the start of the year, and I doubt last week’s atmospheric river storm did much to calm him down. After all, this is harvest season right now, not replanting season.

All hay is irrigation intensive, but my understanding has long been that premium quality alfalfa hay is especially so. The fields around here used to be flood-irrigated, but as the cost of water has risen over the past 10-15 years, I have seen that practice curtailed drastically. You lose too much water to evaporation. That implies heavy investment in more precise irrigation systems.

[Taek]

I know nothing about farming but there's a global manufacturing shortage right now that is making new parts and new machines scarce, which puts a lot of pressure on the used parts market. I'm guessing there's not much special here and that it's just participating in the global trend.

[rootusrootus]

I wonder if any of the price pressure is due to people seeking old older equipment to avoid the DRM crap from John Deere.

[flemhans]

why are there so many cutters and ballers here.

i never met you guys anywhere on the internet before

[reaperducer]

If you're looking for a non-conventional way to sell your hay bales, think about seasonal decoration.

There are plenty of city slickers who will pay more than farmers for hay bales to put on their front porches in September and October. My wife spent a week searching a six-county area trying to find one for her annual hay bale + cornstalk + indian corn + pumpkin + scarecrow display.

I've occasionally seen mini hay bales for sale in supermarkets. They're about the size of a MacBook and go for around $10.

My guess is that what would be most cost-efficient for you is to find a garden center or regional big box hardware store that sells seasonal decorations, so that you can make one large delivery to where the people are.

If any of your neighboring farms have pumpkin patches, maybe they'd be interested in selling hay bales to the public. We went to three pumpkin patches this year, and while all had hay bales for their own use, none had any for sale to the public.

Just a thought from someone who's not a farmer, but has always had an interest in farms.

[mstratman]

Those are usually straw bales from what I've seen.

[reaperducer]

As a non-farmer, I honestly don't know the difference between hay and straw.

[dec0dedab0de]

Also not a farmer, but hay has seeds. I think straw is technically any dead plant stems.

You can cover your new grass seed with straw to protect it from birds. If you try that with hay you'll plant hay.

[BenjiWiebe]

Son of a farmer, living in a farmer community. Alfalfa hay doesn't have seeds unless you harvested it waaay too late, and then it's probably worthless.

I've only ever heard of straw referring to wheat straw - the wheat stems (and grainless heads) left in the field after harvesting.

Hay, on the other hand, is the whole plant (well, not the roots) of alfalfa (a legume), or brome (a grass) or prairie hay (mix of native grasses).

This may be slightly different in other areas, but the above is how it is in Kansas.

[jccooper]

Hay is for eating (it's stored grass), straw is for other uses.

[rootusrootus]

> For instance, only two entries in the entire state of Oregon.

And both of those entries appear to in fact be in Nebraska.