As we put together to show the web page on January, most cow-calf operations are effectively into their winter feeding applications. Excessive fertilizer costs within the spring of 2022 doubtless resulted in much less fertilizer being utilized to hay floor. This was mixed with a scarcity of rainfall in a lot of the US to lead to a sizeable lower in hay manufacturing for the 12 months. Drought circumstances additionally pressured many cattle operations to start feeding hay sooner than ordinary. All these components collectively resulted in a 9% lower in December 1 hay shares for the 12 months on the nationwide stage. James talked by way of a lot of those hay manufacturing and inventory numbers two weeks in the past and that article could be discovered right here.
Tight hay shares had been seen throughout many areas of the US, together with the three states that James, Josh, and I name house. In Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi, December 1 hay shares had been down 15%, 17%, and 20% respectively. In fact, tight hay provides lead to greater hay costs, which will increase winter feed prices for cow-calf operations. There’s restricted value knowledge on the kind of hay that’s sometimes fed to cows, however USDA’s nationwide hay value estimates could be seen above. As a result of transportation prices, hay markets are usually very regional and enormous variations can exist throughout comparatively small distances. So, don’t focus an excessive amount of on the nominal value ranges within the chart above; as a substitute discover the rise in hay costs all through 2022. Within the Different Hay class, costs rose by 28% from April to November (December costs weren’t but obtainable).
Winter feed is the in all probability the biggest expense for many cow-calf operators and I wished to place this in perspective for a typical operation. Usually, grass hay could be bought for $60-$80 per ton. Primarily based on what I’m listening to this winter, that very same high quality hay is promoting for one thing nearer to $100-$120 per ton. The desk under makes use of this hay worth vary to estimate each day hay prices for a 1,300 lb cow consuming 2.25% of her physique weight per day. It additionally appears to be like at loss charges of 15%, 25%, and 35%.
Increased hay costs this winter have doubtless resulted in a 25%-50% enhance in each day winter feed prices per cow. And additionally it is doubtless that producers will feed hay for extra days this winter too. The opposite level to be created from the desk under speaks to the significance of limiting storage and feeding losses. Whereas environment friendly hay feeding is all the time vital, it turns into extra vital as hay turns into costlier. The costlier hay is, the better the loss from hay that’s bought (or produced) and never utilized by the cow herd.
