One of the biggest problems I have in keeping cattle is finding them enough hay for their winter forage. The other issues is paying for it! I don't have the equipment or the acres needed to make my own hay, so I am dependent on others.
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| Round bales of hay. |
This year, with the drought, pastures were thin in the fall and I began feeding hay in early November. In the normal course of things that's not that unusual. But in the normal course of things I would have sold at least one bull and several bred females by now - and that has not happened. With the scarcity of hay, many small holders like myself, and even some of the larger herds, are culling cattle (selling the least productive animals) and not replacing them.
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| Better than average sized round bales of hay. These weigh about 700 to 800 pounds each. |
I'm used to paying $25 for a round bale that measures four feet tall by five feet deep and weighs about 500 to 600 pounds. This year those bales cost $50.00 a piece. Most years, when hay is scarce and expensive, corn is fairly cheap and you can supplement the hay with corn at a reasonable cost. Last year for example, corn was $5.50 for a 50 pound bag. This year its $11.50 ish. I shouldn't complain I guess as I hearing that in the heavy drought areas in Texas and Oklahoma they are paying up to $100 for a round bale like this.
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| Yum! Seven cows and a bull share this round bale feeder. With the mild weather we've been experiencing they will consume one bale every five days. When the temperatures drop down into the 30's in January and February they will gobble up one bale every four and sometimes thee days. Digesting the hay is what keeps them warm. |
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