Pricing guide
Two bales of the same size can be worth double one another. Here is how hay gets priced and how to tell what you are actually buying.
A 4x5 round bale and a 5x6 round bale can differ by hundreds of pounds; the same price per bale is a very different price per ton.
Density matters too. A tightly rolled bale weighs far more than a soft-cored one of the same dimensions.
Small squares vary from light grass bales to heavy alfalfa bales. Weigh a few before you compare sellers.
Type: alfalfa, grass, mixed and straw are different products for different animals.
Cutting and maturity: hay cut before heavy seed head is more digestible and worth more.
Storage: barn-stored beats net-wrapped outside, which beats twine-wrapped sitting on dirt.
Weeds, mold and rain damage. Rained-on hay is discounted for a reason; moldy hay is unsafe for horses.
What is the bale weight, and has a load been across a scale?
What cutting is it, and when was it baled?
Has it been tested? A forage analysis is the only objective quality number.
Stored inside or outside, and on pallets or on the ground?
Is the price loaded on your trailer, or delivered?
Freight can be a large share of the delivered cost; hay bought two counties away often costs the same as better hay nearby.
Buy in bulk in season if you can store it dry — buying hay in February is the most expensive way to feed.
Losses from bales sitting on wet ground are real. Pallets, gravel or a tarp pay for themselves in one winter.
Hay prices depend heavily on region, drought conditions and quality in a given year. Use local listings and your extension service's hay directory for current pricing.