A healthy supply has kept retail horse-hay prices in Texas steady in recent months, says Mitch Waters, of Master Made Feeds, Inc., Grapevine.
For 50- to 65-lb small squares of coastal bermudagrass, he’s currently paying around $9/bale wholesale. His price in the two feed stores he manages in the Dallas area ranges from $12 to $14/bale. “It depends on quality and the quantity they’re buying.”
Most of what Waters is selling is second- and third-cutting hay produced in the eastern and central parts of the state.
“In the drought years of 2011 and 2012, we were paying $10-12/bale. The big difference last year was that, while yields were still only about 50% of normal, a lot of people were at least able to get three cuttings.”