Weekly Hay Market Demand And Price Report for The Upper Midwest As Of September 12,2014

Demand and Sales Activity

Compared to the previous week, small square bal e prices were steady . Large square bale prices were up 10 % . Large round bale prices were steady . Sales activity was very light to light .

For Nebraska , hay prices were steady to $1.25 high er on limited alfalfa hay sales . A lot of buyers and sellers are watching the hay market to see what direction it might go. If Ne braska continues to be wet and cold, it will be hard to bale cornstalks this fall and feedlots might increase their demand for alfalfa and grass hay. There are a lot of scenarios all contacts bring up during conversation. Light to moderate rain across mo st of the state this week has stopped hay production this week. Hopefully, sunshine will come with next week’s weather forecast. Silage choppers have been very busy across most of the state especially on hailed corn fields. For Iowa , hay prices were ste ady on very limited alfalfa hay sales . There was very limited hay movement this week. Some producers have a lot of hay to put up this fall. Some areas of the state have had up to 25 inches of rain in the last 30 days. There is very good demand for high testing hay which is very scarce in most reporting areas.

In South Dakota , hay prices were $ 21.5 0 high er . Good demand remains for high testing dairy quality alfalfa and high quality grass hay. Very good demand remains for high testing hay suitable for dairies, with light to moderate demand for lesser qualities. Many growers got their third cutting of alfalfa rained on which will keep supplies of high quality hay tight. Rainy, cool, and overcast days this week have stopped hay making progress. Some g rowers who were able to get their third cutting put up early are going to try and make a fourth cutting next week. Much of the third cutting in many areas is still lying wet in the swath as the rains, very heavy dews, and unseasonably cool weather are kee ping it from curing. Producers would like some heat to return after all the moisture received in the last few weeks, but forecasted temperatures look to be in the mid - to upper 60s and low 70s for next week. There was no reported frost across the region yet. There is a frost advisory for Friday night with general overnight lows forecast at 34 degrees.

For Missouri , alfalfa hay prices were steady on very limited alfalfa hay sales . Hay supply is moderate to heavy and demand is light . Aside from the fore casted low temperatures expected this coming weekend, a lot of talk revolved around rainfall amounts. Flooding became a major problem in northern Missouri this week, with several official totals ranging from 5 to 8 inches and in extreme cases slightly ove r 10 inches in a very short time frame. Corn harvest has started in several areas of the state, but obviously other areas were halted due to rainfall. Hay movement remains light with listings growing each day. A significant amount of large round bales from last season still for sale at fairly good discounts as producers try to create some movement.

In Southwest Minnesota , hay prices were $ 7.90 low er . The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 76 percent complete . All hay conditions increased slightly to 7 2 percent good to e xcellent. Pasture conditions in creased to 69 percent good to excellent. Pasture conditions were rated 3 % very poor; 6% poor; 22% fair; 57% good; and 12% excellent.

The demand for Illinois hay was light to moderate, with market acti vity slow, for moderate to heavy offerings. Prices were mostly steady. Many producers were finished with their third cuttings and ready to harvest either their fourth or fifth cuttings. It has been a challenging season to put up dry hay, as rain in the early months of the hay season delayed harvest of the first and second cuttings. Then rain, high humidity and unsettled weather conditions made it difficult for the third, fourth and fifth cuttings for many producers.

With rainfall being higher than nor mal in many cases across the state, especially for the month of August, pasture conditions have been very good for horses and cattle. This has lowered demand for hay in many cases. Producers were busy making sure their established customers had enough h ay on hand to get them through the upcoming fall harvest season. The demand for wheat straw was still good, with trading moderate to active, for light to moderate supplies of straw.

For Wisconsin, hay prices were $ 2.3 5 high er at a quality - tested hay auc tion in Fennimore . Across the southern part of the state, small grains harvest was wrapping up and corn silage was just beginning. However, reporters in the north and central regions commented that muddy conditions were severely limiting field work. The re were scattered reports of immature silage corn being chopped to supplement low feed reserves. The third cutting was 85 percent complete. The fourth cutting was 26 percent complete. All hay condition was rated 84 percent good to excellent. Pasture co nditions improved a nd were rated at 1 % very poor ; 6 % poor; 26 % fair; 55 % good; and 12 % excellent.

Straw pric es in the Midwest averaged $ 3.37 per s mall square bale (range of $1.25 to $5. 00); $ 39.02 per large square bale (range of $ 25 .00 to $ 54.38 ) ; and $ 41 .60 per large round bale (range of $ 2 8 .00 to $ 62.5 0 ). Compared to the previous week, straw pric e s for small square bales were 9 % high er . For la rge sq uare bales, prices were 7 % lower . For large round bales, prices were 4 % lower .

Source:uwex.edu