Page 9 - MWC 8-11-2022s

The Midwest Cattleman · August 11, 2022 · P9
What’s your baled forage worth?

By Lee Beers, OSU Extension Educator
Depending on your perspec- off your farm quickly, but that
tive, the dry weather in the re- may be a costly strategy.
gion has either been a blessing Adding up the costs
or a curse. Before you “just get rid of
This hay season has been it”, let’s consider the cost of
relatively stress-free so far that bale. We all know fertil-
without a fear of rain, but if izer prices are extremely high
it doesn’t rain soon, we will be right now, and there is nutri-
looking at reduced tonnage for ent value in that baled for-
second and third cuttings. Not age. For every ton of dry hay
to mention that we are fast ap- you harvest, you are removing
proaching corn pollination and approximately 40 pounds of
we will need some significant nitrogen, 12 pounds of P2O5 small square bale would have or taxes, machine deprecia-
rain during pollination for a and 45 pounds of K2O. Each about $1.50 worth of nutrients. tion, labor, storage, time, other
good yield. forage species will differ, but High prices don’t stop at fer- costs, and the quality of your
Yields have been good for these values are a good start- tilizer — fuel, twine, net wrap, hay. Once you start to take all
baled forage in northeast Ohio, ing point for most grass and plastic, equipment, parts, labor those factors into consider-
and with lots of time to make legume species. and just about everything else ation, it is possible to have $40
dry forage, some farmers are If we look at that extra hay is more expensive this year. or more invested in each bale.
prepared to sell extra hay. If as fertilizer, we can put a dollar If we continue to use the Future needs
you find yourself in a similar value on the nutrients using 1,000-pound round bale as an You should also consider
situation, be sure to consider current 2022 fertilizer prices. example and add $0.83 for net your future forage needs. If
all costs before you put a price Assuming approximately wrap and another $1.55 for you have “extra” now, what
on your forage. Unlike some one-third of the nitrogen would fuel to harvest the hay, there will your forage situation look
other items you sell off your be available, one round bale is now $32.88 invested in that like if future cuttings are light
farm, you get to choose the weighing 1,000 pounds would bale. We haven’t even started on tonnage or if you need to
price for your forage. It’s easy have approximately $30.50 to discuss the cost of trans- feed hay to heifers or dry cows
to say, “I just want to get rid of worth of nutrients if it was porting round bales back to the
it” and price it low to move it used as a fertilizer. A 50-pound farm, land rental prices and/ continued on page 19

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