Colder weather is setting in, and that means that livestock owners will be feeding increased amounts of hay. How is the price consumers pay for hay set? The Zwick Center for Food and Resource Policy has a report, the Financial Analysis of Hay Production in Connecticut that is available for review at http://bit.ly/CostOfHay. It explains the cost of producing hay.
“Hay and grasses have lost their importance in commercial livestock operations because of substitution by various grains and oil crops like corn, sorghum, and soy. However, hay remains a primary feedstock for horses. The hay considered in this analysis is defined as dry hay in the form of small square bales. Furthermore, although hay can be made from a variety of grasses and legumes, this paper focuses on hay made from an orchard or timothy grass mix. This specific mix is a common choice among Connecticut hay producers and consumers because it is palatable for horses and is suitable for the growing conditions prevailing in much of the State.
From a broader policy perspective, hay could present an attractive option for land that is currently, or might potentially be, a part of the Connecticut Farmland Preservation Program (Connecticut Farmland Trust, 2015) but not used for farming. Therefore, understanding the financial returns associated with hay farming can provide valuable information to farmers, extension personnel, and policy makers.
The general objective of this report is to present a financial analysis for horse hay production in Connecticut using a representative farm model. The remainder of this report is organized into 5 sections. Section II provides a background concerning hay production. Section III explains the methodology used followed by the results in Section IV. The report ends with a summary and conclusion in Section V.”