Demand and Sales Activity
The market wa s steady this week; there is demand for dairy quality hay . Large supplies of lowe r quality hay have depressed the overall market .
For Nebraska , d emand is lig ht to moderate with steady prices . Farmers are buying hand to mouth, not buying any reserve supply looking for an early spring. Some field work has begun in the state.
For Iowa , hay prices are steady to lower with small square bales hard to find . Fluctuat ing weather has caused demand for straw and hay to be variable. No organic hay was available this week.
In South Dakota , buyer demand is light with abundant suppliers and prices are weaker . Spring road restrictions may contribute t o less demand for hay. In I llinois , no reports this week .
For Missouri, h ay supply is moderate, demand is light, and prices remain steady. Cattle are chasing green blades of grass and farmers are fertilizing pastures anticipa ting an early grazing season .
In Southwest Minnesota, good supply of hay at the market . Prices were weaker with mostly lower quality of hay at the market .
In Wisconsin , steady prices in a buyer’s market wit h a large supply of lower quality hay .
From the rumor mill, there will be an increase in hay prices in the near future. Why? Fires in Texas and export demand from Saudi Arabia (Saudi is limiting water for hay production ) . The report from wildfire areas i s currently there are adequate supplies of hay in the region. Aid now is needed for fencing materials. Reviewing the March 10, 2017 export market report , currently export prices are very similar to the reported Midwest prices. The current export market for alfalfa depending on quality ranged from $75.00 - $120.00 per ton from USDA.
Prices for straw were un changed from the last report. Small square bale straw price a verag ed $ 3 . 3 5 a bale this week (range of $ 1 . 0 0 to $ 6.00 ) . L arge squar e bale price was $ 3 2 . 0 0 per bale (range of $ 5 . 00 to $ 5 8 .00 ; one report of low quality straw ) an increase of $1.00/bale . L arge round bale s were a few dollars higher than the last report priced at $ 33 .00 per bale (range of $ 17 .00 to $ 4 0 .00) .
Source:uwex.edu