How much does it cost to plant hay per acre?

How much does it cost to plant hay per acre?

He says it costs about $297 per acre to seed and prepare hay ground. “You are going to get more than three years out of that, but if we use three years, that’s about $100 per acre per year,” Brown says. “If you are getting $125 per ton for quality hay, you are going to see a profit of $51 per ton, or $204 per acre.

How much does hay make per acre?

The Provincial average yield for first cut dryland hay is estimated at 1.4 tons per acre, which is just above the 5-year average of 1.3 tons per acre.

How many bales of hay do you get from an Acer?

With an average bale weight of around 40 pounds (with our Abbriata small square baler or any of our mini round balers), that’s 100 bales to the acre for a first cutting.

How much does it cost to produce hay?

When full cost of production is accounted for, hay generally costs between $70 and $140/ton to produce. On smaller operations that own a full line of equipment, the cost can easily exceed $200/ton.

How much does a square bale of hay cost?

From the hay market, square bales, on average, will cost you between $3 and $10 per bale, but some farmers prefer selling their hay per pound, in which case such a bale will be around 50 pounds.

Is hay a good cash crop?

If growers can meet the specifications of buyers in a premium market, hay can be an excellent cash crop. Producers must understand their market before they start growing hay. Ruminant markets value high protein and high digestible fibre, while horse markets value soft, green, dustfree hay that’s more mature.

Is it cost effective to bale your own hay?

It all depends on your equipment costs, operating costs and what it takes to raise your crop versus what you pay for custom haying or buying hay from another producer, says University of Missouri Extension ag business specialist Whitney Wiegel. And, the more hay you put up, the less you’ll pay in fixed costs per bale.

How much does it cost to harvest an acre of hay?

Assuming 100 acres of hay are harvested in two cuttings, with a total yield of 3 tons per acre, this study compares hay harvest and hauling costs, including changes in capital ownership, to custom harvesting and hauling. Changes in capital ownership reflect the fixed ownership costs of depreciation and interest (as an opportunity cost of capital).

How much does an acre of alfalfa cost?

Alfalfa Field (dairy quality hay) Equation: Estimated 4 tons per acre yield of 16% moisture hay at $200 per ton = $800 per acre value for all three cuttings; minus buyer’s cost of harvest and weather risk at $324 per acre assuming three cuttings (Table 1); equals the buyer’s maximum pay price: $476 per acre for three cuttings ($800 – $324 = $476).

How much does it cost to irrigate an acre?

Irrigation allows for more consistent production but has a significant cost of $132 per acre. Machinery costs are $9 per acre, and labor totals $45 per acre.

How much does it cost to have a pasture system?

This summarizes estimated costs of improving pasture by five different systems. For each system, both the initial cost per acre and the annual maintenance cost per acre are presented. In addition, costs of establishing alfalfa or alfalfa-grass hay meadows and annual maintenance costs for alfalfa-based hay production are presented.